Training Log: Entry 3406

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

**OPERATION CONAN** Spec Ops Insertion Phase

*Tactical Barbell Mass Protocol* Specialization Bravo, Cycle 1, Week 1, Workout 4

WARM UP

Roll out on LAX ball

50x90 reverse hyper

Bodyweight jump squats

Squat sets of bar, 85, 135, walkout w/225

MAIN WORK

Buffalo Bar Squat

4x12x225

Lever belt squat

4x12x192.5

Axle strict press

12x93 (misload)

2x12x98

1x10+2x98 (rest pause)

Axle bench press

4x12x143

(3) Incline DB Bench

4x12x50s

Dips

4x12

ASSISTANCE

Hanging leg raise/band pull apart superset

3x10/20

Lateral Raise Dropset

35x10lb, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xempty hands

Total Training Time: 60 minutes

BREAKFAST

Longer walk w/dogs

Notes:

* Kept rests to strict 1 minute intervals for vast majority of workout, with the exception of the final set of the incline DB bench and one of the sets of the lever belt squat.  I thought I’d need to get in 2 minutes after Monday’s workout, but I found another gear today.  I like my approach of starting the week with minimal supportive gear and then bringing out the belt and elbow sleeves for the second workout. There’s also something to be said about the “oh sh!t” factor of the first workout being such a nut-kick that I’ve been eating my faceoff to make sure I was ready for today. Building the Monolith and Deep Water had a similar effect on me.

* I WAS genuinely curious how I was going to survive today, since I’ve been so sore these past few days, but this really helped me work through it.  Having that lower back fatigue dissipated has really gone a long way as well, and my hips are completely pain free.  I’m actually feeling like the best I’ve felt in a LONG time.  

* Misloaded the press for the initial set, but at least I realized it early, making this still a progressive workout.  I think a little longer of rest would have had me.  But thankfully the rest of the workout went without a hitch.  Really focused on trying to move fast on the eccentric of the pressing movements.  Knocking out all the incline DB benching and dips at the end was awesome and unexpected, and my labrum didn’t bother me during this workout. 

* Squatting for 4 sets with strict 1 minute rests still sucks.  Trap bar is going to really suck tomorrow.

* I had a great night of sparring last night.  I made it to the final round, squaring off against the senior black belt student.  I lost on something that still upsets me: whenever I parry his punches with my elbow, it’s interpreted as him scoring a point, since contact is made.  But I need to just recognize that and be better. What was awesome, though, was getting a point on him with a hook kick to the head, considering he stands 6’2 to my 5’9.  I used that same hook kick to the head twice on him later in the evening during free sparring, and once on the other black belt who is of similar height.  It caught these guys off because my hips and back have been bothering me for the past 4 months and my kick game has been pretty lackluster, so they’d grown accustomed to my gameplan.  Good to know I still got some surprises in my bag of tricks.  Was proud of the Valkyrie for also scoring a point on the senior, and my kiddo has really learned how to keep up a strong guard. I also chased one of the black belts out of the ring, because they tried to play the game of just standing there and waiting for me to present an opening, and I countered it with a stupidly aggressive Dempsey Roll right into their midsection.  That was rewarding.

* No Tang Soo Do tonight: kiddo has a performance at school we’ll be watching.

* I officially signed up for that competition in April.  I’m genuinely excited about it, and I’m excited to BE excited, because strongman has been like a bad relationship with an ex for a while now, where I kept going back hoping to rekindle the magic and kept walking away disappointed.  Having it in my own city WITH events I actually want to do is a win, and having weigh ins the day before is just clutch.  I plan to take the day off work that day so I can just get that knocked out and have one less thing in the morning.  I ALSO plan to use Tactical Barbell to get me there: it’s a solid enough system to base off of.  I’m thinking a bridge week before the competition, then 9 weeks of TB1 programming leading up to it to re-develop strength and conditioning in  a more strongman specific capacity, and from there I can reverse engineer what the rest of the programming will look like.