*Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol: Grey Man-Week 1, Day 3*
WARM UP
Roll out hip on LAX ball
50x180 reverse hypers
Buffalo bar squats w/bar, 85lb, 135, 175, 225, and overwarm unrack w/315
MAIN WORK
Buffalo Bar Squat
4x8x275
SUPERSET
Axle strict press
4x8x118
SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER w/ASSISTANCE
(3) Incline DB bench
4x12x50
NG chins
4x12 (rest as long as needed to get the reps)
Standing ab wheel
3x10
SUPPLEMENTAL LIFT
GHR
4x21
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Woke up 10 minutes earlier than usual so I could spend more time warming up, and I think it paid off. I was still experiencing pain DURING the workout, but post workout I’m feeling very spry, whereas on day 1 I was hobbled. You can still see me struggling on the unrack: on the final set, I took to just squatting out of the bar, and I think that’s going to be my way forward from now on. Just unracking and walking away is painful, but fully decompressing at the bottom feels alright. I should probably spend some time just getting my body moving FASTER in general under the bar, as I do imagine that would help, but with a torn meniscus in both knees, I’m a little gunshy in the morning.
* This was with the new maxes, and they’re pretty spot on. It’s clear I CAN operate with these maxes, but it’s also clear that I NEED to eat if I want to keep this up, which is exactly where I want to be on a mass gaining program.
* My shoulders are also sore: something I noticed yesterday. Program is hitting in all the right ways.
* Reverse hypers as a warm up is really just something I should have been doing years ago. Really sets me up right. I might consider some GHRs too, in a similar method as John Meadows hamstring curls before squats.
* Got in over 23k steps yesterday, which my watch said was a new personal record. Mrs wanted a walk after dinner, and that’s not something I’d ever say no to.
Careful observers will note that the ribs are stacked like a row of shark’s teeth: there are TWO there, as this is a full rack, with pulled pork. Does this violate my ruminant meat goal? Yes, but here is your fun fact of the day
She felt bad my old one was in such disrepair, so she bought me a replacement AND a great hoodie for this winter. Get you a spouse like that.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3356
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
**OPERATION CONAN: Recon and Scouting**
Roll out on LAX ball
60x320lb reverse hyper
2:05 hang from bar
3.36 mile treadmill walk
First mile 3.5 pace at 4 incline, then 5, then 6, then 7 for the remainder (time was slightly over 57 minutes)
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dogs
Total steps before work: 12029
Notes:
* I am at a point where I’m actually looking forward to these workouts, which is so completely different from the last training cycle. These really seem to help me recover. Ditching the 80lb vest was most likely part of that, and when I do bring back the vest, I’ll stick with K. Black’s recommendation of 30lbs. But it’s nice to have a system in place where I smash myself one day and build back up to do it again. Dan John’s Mass Made Simple had a similar approach.
* Before I forget, my left knee went loose on me yesterday, which is the knee I had ACL reconstructive surgery on. I noticed it during ab wheel, and it was acting up a little in Tang Soo Do. It’s a bit stiff/swollen today. Not sure if the weather is playing a role: humidity is up and we have some thunderstorms. I’ll keep a watch on it.
* The reverse hypers continue to be VERY beneficial toward the recovery on my hip/glute. I’m really focusing on the eccentric, letting my legs swing through and spine decompress. I tend to get in another round of them with bodyweight later in the day, to keep it up, along with rolling on the LAX ball. Hanging from the chinning bar was also good. I didn’t do the 30 second chins this time, but it’s nice to maintain that grip strength.
* I’m planning on walking back the squat weight 10lbs tomorrow, and the press weight 5. Though I CAN get the 4x8 squats done, as demonstrated on Monday, I think giving myself some room to grow will be the right call. I’m also thinking of waking up 10 minutes earlier so I can have more time to warm-up, which goes against so much of what I’ve done before, but I keep saying “doing what you’ve always done will get you the results you always get”. I’m here to get something different.
* I know it's not "supposed" to matter, but it's honestly pretty awesome that I'm experiencing some soreness again. My pecs, hamstrings and abs in particular. Novel stimulus, sure, but just a nice reminder that I still have something in me.
Wednesday, September 18, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3355
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
**OPERATION CONAN: Recon and Scouting**
*Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol: Grey Man-Week 1, Day 1*
WARM UP
50x180 reverse hyper
Sets of bench and trap bar pulls
MAIN WORK
Low handle trap bar pull
4x8x395
SUPERSET
Axle bench press
2x8x216
1x7x216
6+3(rest pause)x216
SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER (as a giant set)
Dips
4x12xBW
Chins
1x7
3x6
Axle curls
4x12x43lb
ASSISTANCE CIRCUIT (off camera, no rest between rounds)
Standing ab wheel
3x10
Reverse hyper
3x20x90
Band pull aparts
3x20
Total training time: 50:45
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dogs
Notes:
* I am really digging how long these sessions are running. Just about 40 minutes to get all the required work done, and then 10 minutes to myself to work the assistance. And in that, I AM keeping with the author’s recommendations, wherein he says to NOT add anything to the program in terms of curls, raises, etc, but if we want to do some core work, to include pull aparts, that’s fine. So here I am doing that.
* Still some GI issues this morning. Most likely nachos aren’t the best training fuel. Realistically, I imagine it was the egglife wraps that I turned into chips, as those are the most “processed” food that I eat. My kid brought up the idea of walking tacos/nacho bowls next time, and that’s pretty brilliant. I could just crumble up some pork cracklin there to get the crunch. But really, the only reason I’m bringing this up is that it limited my time just a touch.
* THAT said, I still made it a point to roll out my hip with the LAX ball before stepping into the gym, and then to warm up with those reverse hypers, and it was an absolute game changer. I started the workout with a lower back pump already, and though I experienced some minor hip pain, I was in a far better state than Monday. No hobbling. You can see me on the first set of the pulls that I am being VERY ginger and deliberate, with super controlled eccentrics, just getting a feel for things. What’s unique about the pain is that I’m totally fine UNDER load, but when I rack/set down the weight, pain sets it. Definitely a nerve issue. Only experienced some pain on the final set of the trap bar pulls.
* Bench weight is a touch too heavy, and I even walked it down 5lbs from the original starting weight. I’m thinking a training max rather than a 1rm would be the better call here, despite what the author says, although that’s most likely because I employed a 1rm calculator vs actual testing, and as we’ve seen, my ability to grind high reps definitely does not equate to my ability to hit max weights. Chins were also ambitious at 4x10: 4x6 was more within my capabilities. Again: recon and scouting. Got no ego here either: will lower things so I can build up. Don’t need to race to a stall.
* Kept rests close to a minute in the earlier sets, and then just as needed for later sets. Don’t need to be a “short rest hero” here: need to get the reps.
* Tang Soo Do was actually a solid workout last night. Got in a lot of physical training, and we even worked some board breaks at the end. We used the plastic re-breakable boards, which are actually quite a bit tougher than real wood, since you have to hit them DEAD on center. I made it a point to use the same level of resistance as the black belts for every technique, and was able to break on my first try, which was awesome. Got another class tonight.
* Came out at 18.5k steps yesterday, and once again, that’s not counting any of the ones from work or TSD. Getting a new puppy has really upped my activity.
* Thinking about progression, K. Black says "4-5 sets" in his instruction for the main work, and that just makes a lot of sense to me. I plan to run 2 3-week cycles back to back, and during that time I won't raise the maxes, but will instead transition from 4 sets to 5 sets. After that, THEN I'll raise the maxes, and go back to 4 sets. This can allow me to progress while keeping the weight the same. Slow and steady.
Tuesday, September 17, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3354
AM WORKOUT (0406 natural wake up, snoozed until 0410)
**OPERATION CONAN** Recon and Scouting Phase
Reverse hyper
60x320lb
3 mile treadmill walk
3.5 mph and 4 incline first mile, 5 incline second, 6 incline final
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dogs
Notes:
* My hip felt better when I woke up, but still stiff. I rolled it out this morning, which helped, but the reverse hypers were really pretty magical. I’m going to steal from Dan John for this protocol: “the warm up IS the workout”. Reverse hypers need to be one of the first things I do upon getting into the gym. Louie knew what he was doing when he built this machine. I actually had a co-worker ask me yesterday “Do you have a herniated disc?” based on how I was walking, because he was similarly afflicted…and honestly there’s a fair chance the answer is “yes”. I have a physical coming up in Oct and can see about getting some imaging, but I’m happy I can find a way to get to yes in the interim. Without a competition to train for, there’s far less pressure to “get good”, and I can use this training phase to really stretch my legs, settle in, groove some quality reps grow and heal.
* Which, on that note, this was an easier day of walking, similar to what I was doing right before the competition. It falls within the 30-60 minutes of walking that K. Black advises for the conditioning during General Mass, and is going to be my primary means moving forward. In truth, one of the big reasons is I have a LOT of Netflix to catch up on, and I’m genuinely enjoying watching it while I walk. I’ve spent so long enduring suffering in my training, and I put on display in this last comp that I still “got it”, so I can take some time to find some joy while I train now. When I move to the specialization phase, I can suffer a little more.
* I got in an extra 2.3 mile walk yesterday while my kid was at a practice. Came in around 14k steps, and this morning I had 12k before 0730, so that’s pretty awesome.
* My hamstrings are SORE today. Those GHRs are really showing themselves.
* Going PSMF today until dinner, which is going to be some steak nachos with homemade nacho cheese (using goat cream cheese and tilimook shedder), using pork cracklin for chips. That should be anabolic. High in those super rare amiño acids.
* Tang Soo Do is on the schedule for tonight. It’s “Wildcard week”, and since we have a tournament coming up in the start of Oct, I imagine we’ll be doing preparation for that. I’m going to do a creativity board breaking demonstration, which should be fun, and I’m signed up for a fair deal of sparring, which would be MORE fun if we were allowed contact…
Monday, September 16, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3353
AM WORKOUT (0405 natural wake up)
**OPERATION CONAN: Recon and Scouting**
*Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol: Grey Man-Week 1, Day 1*
MAIN WORK SUPERSET
Buffalo bar squats
4x8x285
Axle strict press from rack
3x8x123
6+1+1x123
SUPPLEMENTAL WORK GIANT SET
(3) DB incline bench
8x60
3x12x50
NG Chins
4x12 (took as long as necessary to get the reps in each set)
Standing ab wheel
3x10
SUPPLEMENTAL WORK STRAIGHT SETS
GHR
4x21
TOTAL TRAINING TIME: 52:30
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dogs
Notes:
* First day of the new program, I’m calling this Recon and Scouting because I’m using this as an opportunity to assess where I am and what needs altering. Right away I discovered my max is too high on the DB bench, most likely because I’m accomplishing it right after the presses. My presses may be a hair too high, but resting longer might help. I got up earlier than usual, but had to attend to some GI distress due to yesterday’s feasting. I feel, absent of that, I’ll be able to give the adequate recovery time AND warm up time to make this viable, as my knee and hip were screaming at me on those squats, and I feel like I have the tools to make that NOT happen if I’m smart about it.
* The squats WERE tough, but more from a pain management perspective. I almost lost the second rep of the third set: felt myself fall forward with it. Being able to recover it and finish out the set is a good sign.
* I am violating my “more trouble than I am worth” principles and pressing out of the rack. Taking lessons from history, my press was the strongest when I trained it out of the rack, and my time away from doing that got me weaker, so I’m going to swallow my pride and do what works.
* On that topic, treating GHRs as a single set exercise was a mistake. I got a ridiculous pump with those 4 straight sets. There is a lot of value in that.
* It’s incredibly humid, and combined with some carb sweats, I was soaked. I am also STILL quite full from that meal last night, so “Operation Conan” is off to the start with some fasting. I’m waiting until I feel hungry again. But I’ve been feasting since Friday, and I’m not too concerned about that.
* Which, on that note, when I woke up yesterday, I was feeling kinda fluish and had no appetite. I’m pretty sure that sandbag carry gave me a touch of CNS flu. I had a smaller breakfast, fasted through lunch, and absolutely feasted in the evening. Was an interesting experience.
UPDATE
Ended up fasting until dinner, and then whipped this up
5 pastured eggs, grassfed ghee, grassfed burger patty, topped with swiss and grassfed sour cream.
COMPETITION REPORT: FIRST PLACE FINISH AND NEW STATE RECORD AT 2024 NEBRASKA'S STRONGEST MAN MLW (181)
**VIDEO AND RESULTS**
* Here is the competition
* I took first place AND set a state record in the farmer’s
hold for time (220lb for 43 seconds, beating previous record by 3 seconds).
**THE BACKGROUND**
* This competition was one I picked out after a July
competition got canceled on me.It had
similar events to the July comp, so the transition wasn’t too tough.The big thing was, it meant I spent a LOT of
time in a more specific mode of training vs base building, and a LOT of time
being skinny, as I don’t cut weight for competitions and therefore wanted to be
able to comfortably show up within the 181lb class weigh in.
* I’ll have to detail the specifics of the training phase
sometime, as I’m really happy with how it turned out, but it was a multi-phased
approach, starting out with getting out of DoggCrapp shape and into strongman
shape, then re-developing skills, then developing max strength, and then a
taper/deload.I showed up to the
competition feeling good, and left feeling that way too.Been a LONG time since I felt that way.
* I woke up STUPIDLY underweight, at 80.4kg, and that was
after eating at a buffet the night before and weighing in at 79.1kg.So I had an awesome breakfast of 3 different
steaks and 4 pastured eggs, swimming in grassfed ghee
,
drank a 30oz green tea and electrolyte mixture on the way to the comp, and
still weighed in at 180.8 with clothes on.Mission accomplished: I showed up making weight and VERY well fed.And I didn’t need to eat for the entire
competition with that meal, so that was awesome: one less thing to deal with.
**THE EVENTS**
EVENT 1: Last Man Standing Silver Dollar Deadlift
* This was the event I was most concerned about, since my
hip has been bothering me for a few weeks now.I showed up pretty late to the comp, and warm-ups were already pretty
heavy.I stepped up to about 495 loaded,
pulled it for a slow rep and felt my hip twinge a little bit, so I shut it
down.Eventually, the women started
warming up, and I jumped in on lighter weights and managed to pull pain free
for a few reps there.
* But all of this became a non-issue, as the guy I was
competing against jumped in at the opener of 365, to which I waited until 405
was loaded.We were doing 10lb jumps,
and they kept calling higher and higher.When it got to 425, the other competitor asked me “How high are you
going today?”I said “I don’t know”,
because I genuinely had no plan (Chaos is, of course, the plan), to which he
said “Because I’m done”.
* …well bleep.At
first I was curious if he was playing some sort of game, but he seemed like a
genuine dude, so I took him at his word.I took 455 just to get in a higher number, and felt my hip not feel
great, and then I waited for 505 just to get a 500 pull, which was my third
attempt and final.First place finish.
EVENT 2: Max Distance 40lb Sandbag Throw
* A recurring theme for this comp was that I misread the
weights for my training.I thought this
was a 35lb throw, but it was actually 40.The 40lb bag here actually DID feel lighter than my 35lb bag at home
though, so that was good.My training
for this event to just get in throws whenever I could, Easy Strength style, but
I never really tried to learn or study a technique for it.Watching people in the warm-ups, I saw
techniques that made a LOT more sense than what I did in training, and decided
I would abandon the plan as needed.
* You’ll see my “plan” on my first throw: a two handed
hammer throw style approach, which got me a paltry 16’ and some change.I needed to beat 25’.So with that, I adopted the 1 handed style I
saw other dudes using and got 22’.So
close!Tried it again for my third
attempt, and it was apparently not as far as my second attempt: they didn’t
tell me the distance.I lost this event,
but at least I learned a better approach for the future.
EVENT 3: Axle Clean and Press Ladder (160-180-200lb axles)
* This was the OTHER event where I misread the weights,
thinking it was 150-170-190.I got 190
in training out of a rack, never off the floor, once again trying to work
around my hip.This was also my first
time trying out my Cerberus grip shirt.I honestly hate the idea of grip shirts, but I liked the design on it
enough that I finally went and bought one.
* The guy I was competing against struggled on the
continental with the 200lb axle, and for a moment I thought he wasn’t going to
get it, but he eventually popped it up and secured 3 reps.I approached 160 and it moved smooth
enough.180 felt heavier than I would
have liked.And then I went for 200 and
it was STUPIDLY heavy.I absolutely
rested it on the belt for far longer than should be been allowed, and the grip
shirt REALLY worked well, but I had to effectively limbo under the bar before
it got into the rack position.I went
for a press, got it part way up, and that was game over.My press has honestly fallen apart: it used
to be one of the strongest parts of my game.Dropping my bodyweight definitely has an impact there, but I really just
need to get back to basics and struggle under a bar.I’ve been doing a lot of dips because I like
them and I’m good at them, but they’re not what is going to build my press
compared to just some hard pressing.At
this point, I’d won 1 event and lost 2, which meant I had to win the next 2
events if I wanted to come home with a win.
EVENT 4: Max Distance 220lb sandbag carry
* This was THE event I was most excited about, which sounds
nutty to just about anyone else, but if you “know” me, you know that I THRIVE
in an environment where it’s simply a question of who can deal with the most
suffering.I read the rules so many
times and they made it clear: as long as the sandbag doesn’t hit the floor, you
can keep going.So I spent a LOT of time
training on keeping the sandbag lapped and recovering.About the only thing that was of concern was
my hip and knees, because picking up the bag and carrying it beat the hell out
of them.
* The other guy went first, which was a HUGE stroke of luck
for me, because it meant I KNEW what I had to beat, vs having to just go for
max distance.He went for near 3.5 laps
of a 50’ track, and I had marked off his failure point in his mind, so I knew
what I needed to do.
* You can see in the video it was a slow and stable pick,
and I tried to get the bag as high up as I could to allow my hips some
mobility.I moved ok for the first 2
trips…and then the most epic sandbag carry of all time happened.Like the Little Engine That Could, “I think I
can I think I can”, I would just meander a few feet ahead, lap the bag, rest,
regroup and go.The biggest issue I had
to contend with is that the bag was getting slippery as I went, and slightly
off center, so I wasn’t able to get great re-grips when I’d start again,
resulting in shorter and shorter runs…but I NEVER stopped moving forward.I inched my was just ever so slightly past
where I needed to be, and unfortunately the video cuts off before the very end,
but I tossed the bag just a few extra feet from me to make sure I had it.In the end, I beat the other guy by 4.5’,
with a near 5 minute sandbag run.I’m
sure I COULD have gone even further if I needed to, but thank goodness I
didn’t, because I was SPENT after that.I made a noise like a set of dying bagpipies, and went and laid
down.Also, I forgot to take off my fit
tracker, and found out my heart rate got up to 160 during that event, which may
not sound high, but when you factor in that my resting heart rate is 38, it
meant I was pretty redlined.
EVENT 5: Farmer’s Hold for Time (220lb per hand)
* So now we’re tied: 2-2, meaning whoever won this final
event won the competition.I’d been
training for this event primarily by hanging from my chinning bar and doing a
pull up every 30 seconds (something I stole from Dan John), with a once a week
training where I’d actually hold onto a loaded up trap bar for time.My grip strength isn’t super awesome, but I
was progressing well in training.But,
really, the big thing was that this was ANOTHER event premised around “who can
endure the most suck”
* I chalked up, set my grip, pulled slow, shut my eyes and
immediately starting singing “Somewhat Damaged” in my head as a way to distract
myself from the experience.With my eyes
closed, I was listening, and I knew that, once I heard plates hit the floor, I
was in the clear, but I ALSO knew I’d have to hold on for a few more seconds
after that because we didn’t necessarily start EXACTLY at the same time.As I was holding, all I could think of was “I
am NOT going to lose because of this event”.Did it suck holding the handles?Yeah…but apparently it sucked more for the other guy, because I
eventually heard the very noise I was waiting for.I stuck with the plan and held on for a few
more seconds…which is what got me a state record!Previous record was 40 seconds, and I held on
for 43.So I guess my grip strength IS
ok.
**WAY FORWARD**
* I don’t have any other strongman competitions on the
horizon.I have a grappling competition
on 8 Dec, with a top weight of 185lbs, so I’m not worried about making weight
there.It’s clear my press needs to be
brought up, and I need to not push my hip so hard that I break.I want to get back to basics and focus on
growing muscle and getting stronger, because I’m definitely at a point of
leanness where I can start growing, and with summer ending and a birthday,
Thanksgiving, Christmas and a Cruise all approaching, I’m going to have an
excellent opportunity to eat well.
* For training, I’m planning on running the Tactical Barbell
Mass Protocol.Reading the book got me
excited about training, and it seems like what I need: basic and brutal.I like that it has an opportunity to focus on
my chins as well, because they’ve degraded quite a bit, and the conditioning
will suit me well.Nutritionally, I’m
sticking with carnivore, and focusing on the meat and eggs and keeping the
dairy on the low side.And on the meat
side, focusing on ruminant animals vs monogastric.
* I may continue to bust out some throws here and there, to
keep them grooved, and occasionally I’ll allow myself some sort of stupid
strongman WOD to scratch that itch, but for the most part, I’m excited about
getting back to my roots.
Friday, September 13, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3352
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
**PRE-COMPETITION DELOAD**
3+ mile treadmill walk at 3.5 pace and 4.0 incline
50 bodyweight reverse hypers
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Continuing to keep it easy. In turn, I am feeling the best I have felt in a LONG time. No knee pain, hip/glute pain is almost entirely eliminated, no nerve twinges, full mobility, etc. I’ve frequently said “life gives you deloads”, and that is often true, but I’m learning a lot from this intentional deload. I definitely need to make this a regular occurrence during those times when I’m pushing the training hard. In general, Phyrexian Dreadnought was a smashing success irrespective of my competition performance, because it was a great self-guided approach to getting myself back into strongman shape, intensifying, and recovering.
* With all the activity this morning, I had 10500 steps before 0800/getting into work. That was oddly satisfying. My watch is saying my resting heart rate is 36 as well, which is dandy. It DOES make it tough when I’m working hard and I look down and see 72 as my heart rate, and then I have to realize that’s double my RHR. I also ended up pushing the distance a little further today because I was watching an episode of “Cobra Kai” that was at a REAL good part and I wanted to keep watching.
* Which, on that note, I think I’m going to upset Jamie Lewis and spend more time on the treadmill these days. I’m finding joy walking on it and watching TV, and it keeps me honest with my pacing. I’ll throw on a weighted vest every once in a while, but otherwise will just play with the incline.
* Which on THAT note, right now it’s not a big deal anyways, as I’m still getting plenty of time out in the sun with walking my puppy and daily chores. I did like 5 hours of yard work yesterday, shirtless and soaking up Vitamin D. This led to an awkward moment with our contractor. We’re STILL recovering from that tornado in Apr, and unbeknownst to me, our contractor was going to come by the house for a quick check in. He texted my wife, but she was busy and didn’t relay it to me. Dude shows up, I see him, take out my ear buds and go to chat, and he goes “Hey…looks like you’re in pretty good shape”, “Thanks, sorry, didn’t know you were swinging by” “Yeah…you work out a lot? Like everyday?” “I try to, it keeps me young, just a lot of yard work today” “Yeah, I wanna work out some more, I wanna get fit, I’m not as fit as you” “You’re young: you got plenty of time” (Dude is like mid/late 20s), and this just keeps going on WAY longer than absolutely necessary. But, on the plus side, typically the way this goes is I run into someone from work at the grocery store while wearing my “Deadlifts and Dragons” tanktop, so this progress.
* I stepped on the scale at 79.1 kg this morning. I will have ZERO issues making weight for the comp. I’m going to be coming in UNDER weight, just like last year, which is why I hate weight classes in the first place, but at least I know I can eat big today with no issues. I’ll be showing up VERY well nourished, and I’ve already got 3 steaks thawing out to make some steak and eggs tomorrow before the comp.
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3351
Took the day off work to get some chores done. Slept in, took the dogs for a long walk, going to mow the lawn and get in some more walking/activity through the day.
And on the topic of food, this was last night's attempt to regain some weight
Triple venison burger on chaffle buns with grassfed sour cream alongside the leftover deviled eggs, pork cracklin and cottage cheese. Got some ribs on the smoker for lunch today
FOLLOW UP
Whole day of yard work, ended up with over 20k steps, which I also managed yesterday. I mowed the front yard, batteries died because there was SO much grass to get through, so then I spent 90 minutes raking up dead grass to throw away to make things easier, during which time my ribs smoked to perfection (I've learned to doubt my instincts and just let them cook beyond the point I'm comfortable with, because these turned out AMAZING. I also used my "Indian Crutch", which is like a Texas crutch, but with ghee instead of butter), walked the dogs again, drove to see my wife for lunch, got some groceries, came back and mowed the BACK yard, did some meal prep for my comp (cooked up 2lbs of ground venison), picked up my kiddo to take to the dentist, came home, Valkyrie made me breakfast for dinner
Boom! 2 3-egg omelets with 4oz of grassfed new zealand lamb between them, grassfed swiss and grassfed ghee, topped with grassfed sour cream alongside some beef bacon, 1.5 grassfed all beef hot dogs, half of a grassfed burger patty, some grassfed cottage cheese, and some pork cracklin. "The word of the day is Grassfed!"
After that, Valkyrie and I took the puppy for a 1.5 mile walk.
Do I know how to take a day off or what?!
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3350
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
**PRE-COMPETITION DELOAD**
2:05 hang from bar, pull up every 30 seconds
3 mile treadmill walk at 3.5 pace and 6 incline
50x180 reverse hyper
50 band pull aparts
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Continuing the wind down and healing. I continue to feel better. I woke up this morning and saw my heart rate was at 36, so I’d say that’s a good sign that my recovery is on point. Once again, the danger of me having a fit tracker: I obsess over data. And in that regard, between the treadmill and the dogs, I got in 11k steps before 0800 today.
* Kept everything easy: low incline on the treadmill, low weights on the reverse hyper. I’m actually being intelligent about this deload/this competition in general. Growing up a bit. It feels good to feel good, and in particular I like this style of deload I’m employing: focus on walking/general movement. I think, next time, I’d like to get in a bit more bodyweight work, but the max testing helped serve as some resistance training. Thinking even more about it, I suppose this is really how I live when I’m on a cruise, which tends to serve as my deloads in life.
* Weighed in at 79.3 kg. This is the thing I DON’T like about competitions: I’m so focused on making weight that I’m honestly undereating. I have a LOT of leeway heading into the comp now, which is cool, as it means I can eat big, but it also means I left behind some strength compared to if I had kept intake higher through the process. That being said, last night for dinner I had 6 burger patties from Freddy’s, that I topped off with some grassfed ghee and ate alongside some pork crackling and grassfed cottage cheese…and then the rest of my kid’s leftover burger. So weighing in at this weight after SO much sodium is really a good sign. And the night before was the carb up night, and once again, last night, I went to bed looking absolutely peeled. I’ve really got a solid way forward on my nutrition, and I think I’ll lay out “the plan” for that rolling into Operation Conan.
* And on the topic of that, I was walking into work today thinking about how, between Mass Protocol and Book 1 of Tactical Barbell, I always have the option to take some time away from Mass and focus on some basic strength and conditioning, should I find myself in that situation. Which, yeah, 5/3/1 can afford me that too. No issue having too many ways to succeed. The big thing I’ve noticed is I’m really gravitating AWAY from lifting all the time. I like keeping myself down to 3 days a week, and shorter workouts. Dan John talked about how the amount of extra work one needs to do beyond the basics in order to see real benefits is so much exponentially beyond the latter that it’s not worth trying to work in the middle ground. IE: 3 days a week of moderate training will get you 80% of the results, but to get 90% of the results, you don’t do 4 days a week of moderate training, but instead 7 days per week of intense training. I’ve definitely lived that, and I don’t need it right now.
* Tang Soo Do last night was pretty low energy, which is what I needed. Focus on 1-steps. My hip is feeling better as I kick, which is a good sign. Doing it again tonight.
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
**FUTURE PLANS**
The next competition I have coming up is a grappling comp on 8 Dec, which has me in the 171-185lb weight class. I’m not concerned with making weight there. I have a cruise coming up post Christmas (around 26-27 Dec through the new year), which I’m not too concerned about needing to be absolutely peeled for. I’ve spent the entire summer leaning out, and I feel like, per Dan John, I’m in an excellent position to start gaining.
Thus begins “Operation Conan”
**THE METHOD**
I’m going to use Tactical Barbell’s Mass Protocol. Reading the book got me excited about training, and I’ve learned over the years that, when that happens: I should pursue it.
Specifically, I’m going to employ the “Grey Man” program for my general mass gaining program, and the Alpha protocol for my specificity phase. I was torn between Grey Man and General Mass, but settled on the former because I wanted to be able to include overhead pressing and I felt that alternating between squats and deadlifts will allow me better recovery, and altnerating between bench and overhead press will improve my strength.
For the Supplemental Clusters, my plan is Incline Bench, weighted chins and bodyweight GHRs on the squat and press day, and weighted dips, BW chins and axle curls on the bench and dead day.
I’ll be including the low intensity conditioning through out as well.
**THE DEVIATIONS**
I’ll be employing the trap bar for the deadlifting portion of the Grey Man program, rather than a barbell/axle. I feel like this will help a bit more with my recovery, and truth is, I’m WORSE with a trap bar than I am with a straight bar, which should allow a better hypertrophy response.
Along with that, I WILL be including straight bar deadlifting in the program. I’m going to continue my weekly ROM progression work on Saturdays. This is a very positive thing for my strength, and whenever I stop doing it, I regret it. I’m willing to accept the consequences of including it. I may also occasionally include some sort of high intensity conditioning session when the mood strikes.
I suppose pairing the squat with the press vs the bench and the dead with the bench vs the press is technically a deviation as well, but depending on how you read the instructions in Mass Protocol it’s fine. This is how Building the Monolith is set up, and it works well. For my training space, this set up makes more logistical sense.
And, of course, the biggest one: I’m going to continue my carnivore nutrition approach, rather than employing the calorie counting high carb approach advocated in the book. In the book, the author frequently says he does not recommend a low carb diet, but he also includes “maybe you are different”. Yes I am K Black: yes I am. I’ll be focusing on upping the content of meat and eggs I’m consuming, rather than falling back on dairy and pork rinds, as I’ve done in the past. I’ll include those latter items, sure, but they’re not going to be my default variable to manipulate. And that’s what is making this “Operation Conan”. We’re taking on the operator mantel of Tactical Barbell while eating in a Conan approved manner.
I AM considering going back to Feast/Famine/Ferocity as far as my overall nutritional structure goes: going back to 2 week famines and 4 week feasts as a means of keeping bodyfat in check through the process. That one I’ll figure out as I go.
**EVEN MORE FUTURE PLANS**
My leaning out over the summer happened on accident. I went to visit my in-laws in May, which become a “cruise” from DoggCrapp, and when I got back home, I had 6 weeks until a strongman competition, so I decided to put DoggCrapp on hold, start more strongman focused training and lean out so I could make the 181 class. That was how Phryrexian Dreadnought got started, with the first phase focusing on getting back into “strongman shape” and the second phase focusing on competition lifts. The Jul comp got canceled, I signed on for a similar comp in Sep, and then had a grappling comp in Aug that still required making a weight class, so the Dreadnought got extended through the end of the summer. That said, I honestly liked how this shaped out: I had spent the academic year follow programs, gaining weight, getting bigger and stronger, and then spent the entire summer training my own way, leaning out, and not having to eat so much goddamn food all the time.
I feel like this wasn’t a bug but a feature. I’m now in a great position to gain through the holiday seasons, which are, coincidentally, great times to eat. I’m already 5 turkey legs deep, according to my kid’s tally, with plans to take on several more, with a birthday coming up in Oct and an opportunity to gorge at Texas de Brazil, followed by Thanksgiving, Christmas and the cruise. And now I know that, when summer rolls around, I’ll have zero issue stripping off whatever adipose tissue I put on and getting myself back down to anatomy chart lean. It’s ZERO struggle doing that with this way of eating: it’s actually EASIER for me to fast than the eat in most cases. So I may actually look to make this the annual plan: 8-9 months of following programs and building, 3-4 months on my own and leaning out.
I’m sure I’ll have more to follow, but I’m excited to keep going with this. I’d love to take some before photos and make this a for real documented journey, but I only have so much bandwidth. We’ll see what happens.
I feel like I’ll spend the 2 weeks post competition screwing around a little and getting myself ready, and then start in earnest at the end of Sep/start of Oct.
MAXES
Going to lay out the maxes I'll be using for the program, using Jim Wendler's 1rm calculator
Bench: 275
Squat: 420
Trap Bar Dead: 565
DB Bench: 105
Weighted Dips: 325 (this is bodyweight PLUS added weight, per the instructions)
Weighted NG Chins: 260 (as above)
Axle curls: 85
BW Chins: 15
BW GHRs: 30
Training Log: Entry 3349
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
**PRE-COMPETITION DELOAD/FUTURE PROGRAM TESTING**
(3) Incline DB bench
Worked up to 9x80lb
Underhand chins
1x15
Axle bench press
Worked up to 7x226
Axle curls
8x66
Breathing Squats
40x225
BREAKFAST
Longer walk w/dogs
Notes:
* This is legit the first time I’ve done some testing for a program since about the first time I ran 5/3/1 back in 2010. Goes to show that I’m actually legit excited about taking this on. I have an awareness of my abilities on the squat, trap bar dead, weighted dip and weighted chin so no need to test there. I may do some axle press testing at some point, since that’s of minimal stress on my recovery: just wasn’t fit for the schedule for today.
* It’s legit hard to come to terms with being so weak on my pressing…but I suppose that’s the whole reason I’m going to change up the training and gain some weight. My pressing always responds to bodyweight gains.
* It’s also legit hard to come to terms with the fact that squatting felt REALLY great today, most likely because I took the time to really warm up for it. I did a LOT of sets of squats with just the bar while I was knocking out everything else today, and did some sitting at the bottom of the squat as well. Really seemed to help. No hip issue: just the right knee. One of these days I should get that meniscus repaired.
* Carb up was a smashing success yesterday. Generous servings of tuna casserole and 4 of the Valkryie’s pumpkin oatmeal cookies, topped with some honey from Cabo from their stingless bees and some fairlife skim milk. Zero reaction to the honey: it’s that cinnamon honey I was eating that caused the issue. Good experiment. Funny enough, we were on a time crunch last night: Mrs was working late and we needed to eat quick to get to a function my kiddo was having, so I took to boiling the noodles and getting out all the ingredients. It was like Superman handling kryptonite. I then started digging through out cookbooks to see if I could find my mother-in-law’s Tuna casserole recipe, because I had no idea how to make it. Valkryie comes downstairs and sees me doing all this and says “Just when I thought you couldn’t get any sexier”. It’s the little things.
* Tang Soo Do is on my schedule for tonight. Yesterday I ended with 19600+ steps, as I managed to get in another walk while my kid was at their function. Going to spend some time fleshing out my future training plan.
Monday, September 9, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3348
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
PRE-COMPETITION DELOAD
2 minute hang from bar, pull up every 30 seconds
3 mile treadmill walk
-First mile at 3.5 pace and 6 incline, Second at 7 incline, final at 8 incline
50x320lb reverse hypers
50 band pull aparts
BREAKFAST
Longer walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Continuing my process of recovering and healing my hip. I’m feeling real good, especially after those reverse hypers. I can still twinge it every once in a while. There’s definitely some sort of nerve issue going on. But I should be good to compete at the end of the week if I keep playing it smart.
* …which I’m not good at, as I plan on using tomorrow to do some max testing to prep for Mass Protocol. That said, I’m not going for 1rms: I’m going to get some rep maxes established and use a calculator. I’m stupid, but in a smart way. If I’m feeling froggy, I’ll see how my 225lb squat is feeling as well.
* That new fitness tracker I got is addictive, which I already knew coming in. My resting heart rate is 40, and I got in 12683 steps before 0800 today. I can’t wear it at work, so I’ll lose some of that data, and I can’t wear it at Tang Soo Do, but otherwise, I’ll gather some metrics.
* Carb up meal tonight: tuna casserole and some homemade pumpkin cookies. I have to remember to NOT eat the cinnamon honey today: think it’s built up too much toxicity inside of me. I may treat myself to an apple from our local orchid.
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3347
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
EVENTS TRAINING
Took my 100lb keg, carried it .15 miles (3 lengths of .05, turning as needed) in a staggered grip carry, backwards dragged empty prowler to the keg, ran back to start, threw the 30lb throw bag to the keg, load keg on prowler, backwards drag it to the start, run back to bag, throw bag to start
Repeat above, but .5 miles total, in a bear hug
Final effort was a .1 mile carry in a stagger grip, call it from there, total time 44 minutes
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dogs, with an all out sprint in the middle (puppy slipped her harness and ran all the way home, so I had to chase her, scoop her up, then run back to the 14 year old pug that meandered a few feet away from where I left her on the walk)
Notes:
* Wasn’t super excited to get this done, but I was ready enough. Kept the keg light again: gonna show up when the time is right on comp day. Hit distance PRs in all 3 occasions, which also meant I had less time for prowler and throws at the end. The throws were really solid today: that counter-rotation is really working out well for me. It’s been a good training block for discovering some tricks on being explosive.
* The hip/glute continues to mend while also not feeling 100%. I missed my reverse hypers this week: maybe I can make them up some time. Schedule is just tight.
* Bit of excitement with that morning walk. I was happy that I still had some running in me, especially given I was wearing my Barefoot moccasins, which is far from ideal for that sort of effort.
* Saw 79.4kg on the scale this morning. I’ll have no issues making weight on 14 Sep. I really need to actually start getting things moving in the opposite direction. Being completely transparent: I just plain like being this lean and eating the way that I’m eating, and it’s easier than being bigger and stronger. But I DO like being big and strong too. I’m complex. I have layers.
* On that note, I’ve come up with 2 COAs from here. One is to run the Mass Protocol, because it’s a shiny new thing. If, by the time I need to start training that way, I don’t have the protocol squared away, I’ll do Building the Monolith again. It answers the mail of what I’m looking for: gaining weight, a chance to build my chins back up, lots of overhead emphasis, squatting heavy some days and high reps others, and lots of dips. Also 3 days a week. No matter what I pick, weekly ROM progression pulls will stay in.
* This close to competition, I’m pretty much back to the start of the Dreadnought: light weight, high reps, kick up the conditioning a touch and get primed. My hips are feeling much better and I’m feeling pretty strong. I think I did Zenos about as smart as I could have: used it like an intensification block right before the comp so I could rest and supercompensate into the competition itself. This workout felt restorative but was still challenging enough at the end. Didn’t beat me up.
* Really pleased with what turned up for those trap bar pulls. It’s not beating my previous best of 12 reps, but it was a very strong 10 reps, and my hip feels awesome still. Considering I pulled 425 from the floor with a barbell a few days before, that’s a great sign.
* Speaking of “a few days before”, this is out of order compared to what I’ve been doing, but with the holiday I did a LOT of walking, so I’m willing to call that my walking workout. I’m still thinking of doing events and walking on Wed and Thurs and getting back on track for Friday, and then using next week just to get technique dialed in before day of comp. Once that is done, I may keep on the lean train until I get into Oct and then start working on putting on some mass again. With Oct being my birthmonth, followed by Thanksgiving and then Christmas, where we’re going on a cruise, it’ll be a GOOD time to put on some mass.
* Little late start on the training itself, so the assistance work was paired down, but as per the theme of pre-comp, it’s not a bug but a feature to do a little less training.
* Tang Soo Do on the schedule tonight.
Sunday, September 1, 2024
Training Log: Entry 3345
Another great Sunday. Got up, got in some push ups and squats, Valkyrie made me breakfast, took the dogs for a 1.5 mile walk, and then got in my deadlifts
9+3+3x425
These are actual deadlifts, off the floor. For the end of the cycle, I would have liked a higher number, but this is post grappling comp and honestly unplanned, but my hip was actually feeling pretty good, and this didn't beat it up too much. I DO think I'm gonna make this my last heavy deadlift before my strongman comp on the 14th. I was pleased with my ability to break the weight off the floor so many times, and the control I had over the bar.
After this, got some lunch at Culver's (4 burger patties with butter, and then another patty with some cheddar cheese leftover from my kid's lunch), got home and broke out the 200lb sandbag before I mowed the lawn
This did NOT feel great on my hip, and I'm definitely good putting this on hold until comp day. I get a feeling the sandbag has really been what's been bothering my hip so much. It tends to blow up my connective tissues: typically it's my elbows, but I've managed to spare those in place of the hips. Perhaps my switch to high bar squatting has helped there.
Mowing the lawn ended up being about a 4 hour ordeal. I haven't been able to mow it for 2 weeks because we've been getting new siding and the dudes have been working all over the yard, so it was like a jungle and I have a battery operated mower, so the batteries kept dying from the sheer labor. I'd have to let them recharge. During recharging, I took the puppy for another 2ish mile walk, then also just went on a walk on my own, and even had dinner (made some sirloin caps from Costco, alongside some full fat cottage cheese and a handful of cracklin for myself, made mac n cheese for the Valkyrie and the kiddo as a side), and FINALLY got it finished in the 3rd attempt.
So lotta activity AND some training today, with lots of great food. THIS is living. I love this.
