* Set timer for 15 minutes, row for 2 minutes, 20 KB swings (24kg bell), row for 2 minutes, 10 snatches per arm, repeat until 15 minutes is up
Notes:
* It’s the heavy week of training, so the light week of conditioning. I continue to really appreciate Fobbit Intervals for allowing me an opportunity to do swings, snatches and rowing all in one workout, and it even has a solid conditioning hit, but it lacks the sprint/high intensity of some of the other work. I have to do my best to not always fall back on this one, but regular rotation of it has been awesome.
* Sticking with doing the snatches all with 1 arm and then moving to the other. I need to stop death gripping the bell.
* My elbows/forearms have been feeling awesome. KB work tends to beat them up, but so far I think I’ve found a really good balance with all the demands I’ve placed on them. Being able to low bar squat, get in lots of chins, train the sandbag and get in the KB work while preserving my arms really is the golden ticket here. I’ve never been able to do that before.
* I forgot to weigh myself in yesterday, since it was a holiday weekend, and I came in at 82.2kg this morning, which is a jump from last week, but the circumstances for the weigh in are so different it’s really a non-data point.
* I’ve got Tang Soo Do tonight, then a double class tomorrow.
Monday, May 26, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3543
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (1100)
Deadlift 15+3+4x405
Notes:
* Had the realization that, with the way my schedule breaks down and my extra training day on next week Monday, I can roll the final week of Tactical Barbell one workout to the right and finish it on Monday, so I made today purely a day to get in this deadlift set, which also worked out since it's Memorial Day and we all had the day off. Didn't want to spend it lifting.
* Being able to perform this set in isolation from everything else was awesome. Total focus and dedication. And it felt AWESOME. Typically, once I get to the floor, I lose some reps, but I kept all 15. Yeah, the final one was a grinder, but it was there, and I actually got 8 reps before I needed another breath, which was big for this training cycle.
* Focusing on getting my hips under my shoulders at the start has really paid off: zero hip pain. Last time I attempted this, I got in 12 reps, and I hurt from it.
* I MAY have been able to get in some more reps on those follow on sets, but juice wasn't worth the squeeze. The first pull was the goal.
* Before all this, I did a bunch of mowing and weed whacking while wearing my 20.4lb Tac Vest, so got in some decent general activity for the day as well.
Sunday, May 25, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3542
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (0700 wake up, 0900 workout)
EMOM sandbag over bar for 10 minutes
Notes:
* 200+lb bag, 50" bar, doubles until I couldn't, and then finished up with 4 at minute 10. Still holding some fatigue from Murph.
* Also did a day of sparring at Tang Soo Do. Got to go against an adult in the first round, that I went 3-0 on with a combination of head kicks and body punches. Squared off against the kiddo in the second round, and gave them some openings to capitalize on. It resulted in them making it to the finals and winning, so that made my day.
* Got in my 10k steps, push ups and squats in the morning, and chins through out the day.
Axle strict press from rack 4x173 2x5x173 +1 push press on the first 2 sets
MURPH Hero WOD
1 mile run 100 chins 200 push ups 300 squats 1 mile run
w/20.4lb vest
Time: 46:08
Took footage of the bodyweight exercises, but paused it during the run.
Notes;
* I've got the day off work and it's my kid's last day of school, so I slept until the Valkyrie got up and was able to cram all this into one session, which worked out great for the schedule.
* Wasn't feeling particularly bad this morning, but not all that strong either. Finished our 4th sparring class for the week yesterday, and I ended up walking 28k steps, 8.25 miles of which were with some manner of weighted vest (I tested out my tac plate carrier walking the dog last evening for 3 miles). So I most likely am carrying some fatigue.
* On the final set of squats, I felt something shift in my right patella, which is the one that gives me trouble. I was dainty for those squats, and felt it a little during the first mile of Murph. Thankfully didn't present during the squats. Right now, it's a little tender, but nothing terrible.
* Press continues to fluctuate day to day. Small changes in bodyweight and fatigue play a role.
* I typically prefer to do Murph unpartitioned (do 100 chins, THEN 200 push ups and THEN 300 squats), in order to make it more miserable for the sake of a memorial workout, but my schedule couldn't permit it. However, performing the workout immediately after a Tactical Barbell lifting session helped increase the misery and difficulty, so I'm happy with that.
* First time running since my fitness test last month, which was the first time running since the 10 mile race. Been trying to let my foot heal. Thankfully, didn't present any pain today.
* I'm fasting through breakfast, since my kid has a half day and we're going out for lunch to celebrate. I'm getting a breakfast burrito with carne asada: go steak and eggs.
* The Fringe Sport tactical plate carrier gets my seal of approval. It jostles a little, but I can adjust it to be a little tighter if I need to. It allows more maneuverability on the bodyweight work compared to my Ironmaster vest, and when I do push ups with this vest my face hits the floor before the vest does, so that's a win.
* I pinched a nerve in my back on something in yesterday's workout, and was concerned it would make sleep difficult, but aside from waking up a little stiff, I felt good enough for this. The walk the day after deadlifts continues to be very tonic.
* We had a great night of Tang Soo Do yesterday. We had back to back classes, and on the second one, only our family showed up, so we just did a sparring clinic. Full hour of various matches with various conditions set (kicks only, non-dominant side only, etc). We eventually did a hands only match and I went up against the senior black belt and just HAD to go back to my boxing days, put up the peek a boo guard and just bobbed and weaved right through their offense into 3 consecutive body blows.
* My new tactical plate carrier arrived yesterday, and I think I'll give it a go with Murph tomorrow.
* Wasn't able to get in my daily sandbag yesterday: schedule was just too crazy.
* Weighed in at 80.4kg this morning, which is an increase from last week, but continues a downward trend over the past 4 weeks of Thursday weigh ins.
Sets of 6 chins between sets (65 total before moving on to mat pulls)
(2) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
15+6+5x405 (12 deep breaths between attempts)
ASSISTANCE
4 rounds of
* 11x80lb db rows
* 11x270 reverse hyper
* 6 standing ab wheels
* 20x38lb axle rows
Notes:
* Once again, the days I don’t want to train are the days I train the best. I have a double Tang Soo Do class tonight, so there was no possible way to delay this training day, despite me waking up wondering if it was possible. Had a rough night of sleep with the dog getting up at 0130 to poop. I moved slow through the warm-ups, but once it was time for the work sets, I felt incredibly strong. The squats didn’t feel heavy on my back, I crushed all the pressing sets (redeeming myself from Monday), and those mat pulls moved the best they’ve moved in a long time. Just really firing on all cylinders.
* Elbows continue to feel awesome. I’m thinking switching to a bearhug carry on my daily sandbag is paying off there for preservation sake, because I’m squatting stupid low bar again without issues.
* About the only issue I have with the mat pulls is I still struggle to hold my breath past the 7th rep, and get a reflux like feeling. But it’s not slowing me down. Focusing on getting my hips under my shoulders at the start and leg pressing the weight rather than hinging it to break off the floor is really paying off. I save a lot of strength for the remainder of the set, and my hips feel SO much better.
* Kept the assistance at 4 rounds. I upped the reps on rows and hyper, and upped the weight on curls. I can try for 5 rounds next week. I COULD have squeezed in that 5th round if I rushed, but it wasn’t worth it.
* Miscalculated my schedule, but for the better. I won’t have an extra week after the final week of this cycle, but just an extra day or 2. We depart on Tuesday, rather than Friday. I’m contemplating doing something really stupid and challenging on Monday to cap off the program and kickstart my 2 weeks of rest.
* Sparring last night went pretty well. I completely shut out one of our black belts during the opening match, going 3-0 without running into the time limit. First point was a sneaky hook kick to the head, and last 2 points were body punches, with the final one involving moving off angle and sending it straight through an open guard. From there, the Valkyrie and I got to spar, and I used that same punch with the same effect to score my initial point, and managed another body punch for a second, before we went into overtime and she managed to come in with a body punch to secure the W and move on to the finals against our Senior black belt. Great seeing her get more reps.
* Also still got in my daily sandbag, and a 3 mile walk with a 20lb vest with the puppy last night. Lot of general activity.
* Wasn’t feeling KB snatches this morning, and this is sparring week so I should get a decent workout in Tang Soo Do, so went with the classic of Oxygen Debt. That said, with the rower, it’s less my oxygen that gives way and more my body, so it’s a bit of a different hit. I think I’ll keep Fobbits as more of a primary, but this was a good diversion.
* The 10 chins as the end were effortless. Planet Mongo is paying off.
* Daily sandbag yesterday was another winner. The bearhug style is suiting me, and sparing my elbows.
* Didn’t have much appetite yesterday after those McDonald’s patties, but it came back this morning, so that’s good. Was worried I may have gotten a food bug.
Monday, May 19, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3537
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, rough night of sleep due to storms, was awake at 0315 and just dozed)
Rower intervals (30 seconds max intensity/60 seconds rest)
7 rounds
2 minute cooldown
Notes:
* With the squats being a 50lb jump from last week, I set the bar silly low on my back. Elbows felt fantastic though, so that’s a positive. I was doing sets of 7 chins during my warm-ups to get 35 before moving on to main work. And the squats themselves felt find. Heavy, sure, but not world ending, and my right knee was very game to play.
* Presses were too damn heavy. I’ve been playing with fire by upping the max while my bodyweight continues to slowly drops, and bodyweight tends to be the biggest driver for success with my pressing. That second set getting all 5 reps in leads to believe I’ve got this in me to finish the cycle though. May just need to increase rest periods a touch.
* The assistance continues to get better. 190 dips total, and zero issues getting through the chins this time, which got me 145 total for the workout.
* I cut off the rower intervals once I started slowing down. Feel that’s been a good metric on when to shut it off.
* Yesterday I had the best daily sandbag workout ever. Bearhug carried it 4 lengths with no stop/rest/reset. And that was on top of walking over 26k steps between a 5 mile walk with the dog, 3 mile walk with the family, and general physical activity.
* I weighed in at 80.8kg this morning, and that’s post carb up weigh in. We did a tuna casserole last night, and I had a biscuit alongside that and then 5 of the Valkyrie’s cookies (3 were oatmeal peanutbutter chocolate chip butterscotch, 2 were chocolate chip with caramel chips) with some raw honey from Catalina island and a mug of fairlife skim.
* I looked over my data, and since starting the Maximum Definition Diet, I’ve lost 1.2kg in 5 weeks, which is a rate of .528lbs per week. And since starting Operator in general, I’ve lost 5.6kg over 18 weeks, a rate of .685 lbs per week. Once again: all of this without counting, measuring, or tracking calories or macros, aside from occasional bouts of interest. I’m right at the rate that many folks suggest to be ideal for weight loss while maintaining strength/size, and I’m definitely experiencing that in my training. Prior to the Maximum Definition Diet, I was effectively employing the Velocity Diet with a carnivore meal for my daily healty solid meal, and then weekends of just carnivore eating. Shows the viability of these approaches.
* I've cut Stevia out of my diet. Currently using only non-flavored electrolytes.
* I’m fasting through breakfast this morning, because my kid’s school is putting on a picnic event I can attend.
* 200lb+ sandbag, 50" bar, doubles until I couldn't do it, which was about round 6. Finished with a triple. Really felt good on this one: much better job getting my hands in position to take stress off the elbows. Conditioning held out strong.
* I am quite sore. I think all the Tang Soo Do “Wildcard Cardio Classes” compounded with the regular training I’m doing and the reduced food intake is starting to show itself. My ability to perform isn’t compromised, but my ability to bounce back appears to be.
* I set the bar low on my back again today. With 300 squats waiting for me after the squat workout, I decided it was the right call for sparing my knee. I went a little higher up on my back for the final set.
* I was FLYING through Cindy at the start. Almost a full round ahead of the EMOM pace. I added about 10 seconds compared to last week, with a 5lb heavier load. I’m pleased with that. Part of me is legit thinking about keeping this even post Murph, because it’s certainly keeping me fit and getting in my volume, but we’ll see. Definitely wouldn’t want to keep scaling up the weight: hold it at 20lbs. But we’ll see: ultimately that cycle is going to be about getting ready for the competition.
* Like last week, once Cindy was done, I was done. All I had in me was some pull aparts and light rower. Second week where I cut out the ab work, and I’m totally fine with that, as we’re doing a ton of that in Tang Soo Do, plus all the push ups with the vest are essentially weighted planks.
* I got in my daily sandbag today, and actually tried it a little different. I started with a bear hug carry, rather than the horizontal carry. I think I might continue to do that, as it spares my elbows, and that position will allow me even longer on the max distance carry.
* Incline: 4.5 for first 2.5 miles, 5.5 for remainder
Notes:
* We’ve experiencing a heat wave right now, and some decent humidity, so this was pretty miserable as far as general suckage goes, but wasn’t taxing to my cardiovascular system or muscles, which is good. I wake up an extra 5 minutes earlier to get in one more quarter mile and be able to get in exactly 90 minutes of rucking. It seems like a worthwhile trade.
* I think I’m going to continue my strategy of NOT doing my daily chins on this day to spare myself for tomorrow’s Cindy workout. I also had to skip the sandbag yesterday due to a very tight timeline, but we got to Tang Soo Do on time and got in 2 full classes. Neither individual class was as tough as the class on Tuesday, but combined they were exhausting. I’ve got another single class tonight, and then we’ll be done for the week.
* Weighed in at 79.8kg, which was post walk/shower, meaning there is a water loss element there, but I’m also just seeing a general downward trend, that is thankfully moving gradually. This is a 1.1kg drop from last week’s Thursday weigh in. I’m appreciating the twice a week data points.
* On the supplements front, I started using a K2 supplement yesterday. It was 200mcg, which is 2x the recommended dosage, so I may go with an every other day protocol. Crazy inexpensive.
* Put the bar low today. Thought process was, with mat pulls in this workout, I wanted to stay fresh, and the low bar is more mechanically advantageous for me. It feels so much better to squat that way, just a matter of taking care of my forearms. Had the x-factor of sweat making the bar slide down today, so even when I tried to make it NOT stupidly low bar, it ended up there. The spot on my traps from Monday where I had the bar is pretty tender, which is a sign that area isn’t conditioned for the load yet. Lots of room to play around, but I kinda like the idea of making Mon and Fri higher bar and Wed lower bar, similar to how I made Wed the lower volume workout on the previous cycle. As always, when you introduce limitations, you introduce creativity.
* The mat pulls felt amazing today. I’m really focusing on breaking off the floor by getting my hips underneath me and leg pressing the weight off, and from there transitioning to a hip hinge, whereas before I was just hip hinging the weight right off the floor and ending the set in agony. The initial break is, of course, slow, but once that’s done it’s a smooth transition between the two and I feel a lot of power. I feel very in control of the weight, which is great for 405lbs. I lost a rep here compared to last week on the final rest pause set, but it’s one of those where I know it was there if I wanted to fight for it, but the cost of that fight wouldn’t’ be worth the reward.
* First workout where I got through all 5 rounds of the assistance work. Debating on if I want to up the weight and go back to 3 rounds or keep trying for 5s.
* I had the time to get in a quick conditioning workout at the end, but decided against it. We’re doubling up on Tang Soo Do tonight, so I should get plenty of additional activity. Last night was a solid workout: 60 minutes of non-stop moving, with a LOT of push ups.
* Kept meaning to log this, but I hit a new PR on the weekend: I sat through the full performance of “Hamilton” at our local theater WITHOUT my right knee being in agony the entire time. This time moving back to low bar with a wider stance has been good for me. It’s good to know that the damage I did to myself wasn’t irreversible.
* Got in the sandbag yesterday. With how the schedule is shaping up today, not too sure if it will happen, but I’m doing it often enough that I can miss a day here and there.
* Last week I did the basic version, and this week I did the full. For the first round of snatches, I tried out single arm clean and press instead, and found it not as effective. For the second round, I did alternating hands each time. On the final round, I stuck with the same hand for 10, then switched, and found that ultimately the best way forward for the future. In total, I got through 3 rounds of swings and 3 rounds of snatches in the 20 minutes time.
* I like this choice because it allows me to get in the rows and the swings, which are both high value. It has a decent enough conditioning impact, and I like that I’m active for the full 20 minutes. However, this isn’t a lung breaker like Oxygen debt 101 or Power Intervals, so I need to ensure I don’t ALWAYS pick this one. That said, I got in some intervals yesterday as well, and I have enough time at the end of other lifting workouts to get in short interval work, so there are lots of avenues for success.
* Elbows held up well enough. I have to start the snatches with my left arm: my right seems to bear most the brunt of the pain. That I was able to work in a set of chins afterwards is a great sign. Razor’s edge still.
* I’m continuing my tradition of sleeping in until my wife’s alarm on Tuesdays. I pick shorter conditioning workouts and manage to still get my morning done, and this way I get a day of extra sleep and get to wake up next to my wife one extra day a week, which we both appreciate.
* Got in the daily sandbag and some more walking last night. Tonight we have Tang Soo Do, and it’s “Wildcard Cardio” week, so we may get in a decent workout. We’ll be doubling up class tomorrow as well, to give us some freedom on Saturday.
* I put the bar at practically high bar height today, just to see how it felt. It was a little tougher than my stupidly low bar height, but still within my abilities, which I think might be a solid way forward on the lightest week of the cycle. Spares my forearms some pain, gets me stronger, gives me room to grow. Really focusing on sinking the depth. The video is unsatisfying, but I know I’m out of ROM at the bottom.
* Went with sets of 6 for chins on the warm-up, which got me to 30 total. They’re feeling better and better, which is the goal of Planet Mongo. I went without the chins yesterday, but did get in the sandbag. I’m feeling better about managing the balancing act here.
* Press felt solid enough.
* My chins felt better on the assistance circuit, but still fell apart a bit at the end. I used the underhand grip more, which helped. Meanwhile, dips continue to climb, and this week I got 180 in the 20 minutes, which is 40 more than what I started with. It dawned on me how this day pretty much is BtM day 1: 3x5 squats, 3x5 press, and all the same assistance work. Just slightly different percentages.
* I really liked the interval I came up with on the rower. 1:2 work to rest ratio really seems to be pretty gold as far as power output goes. Saw my heart rate get into the 130s.
* Weighed in at 81.1kg. That’s a 1kg drop from last week. These continue to be post carb-up weigh ins, for the sake of consistency, and I’ll throw in a Thursday weigh in as well when I’m fairly depleted to keep that standard tracked, but things continue to trend in the leaning out direction with the Maximum Definition Diet. Last night was spaghetti with 93% lean grassfed piedmontese meat sauce, some breadsticks, and a dessert of 2 cookies and 2 brownies from the Valkyrie with some honey and a mug of fairlife skim. Upon reflection, this actually was a pretty light weekend for food. We went out more than we usually do, for the Mother’s Day weekend, and aside from my full rack of ribs on Friday, I was eating lighter portions from a combination of 1: being so goddamn full from those ribs and 2: going out to eat and not wanting to buy 2 entrees worth of food. We’re pretty good at family style these days, and so I split my rice and mac salad at the Hawaiian BBQ place between the kiddo and the Valkyrie and they gave me some extra helpings of BBQ chicken and kalbi ribs, and at First Watch I gave the Valkyrie and kiddo my fruit and toast in exchange for their breakfast sausage, sunny side up eggs and butter, but even still, it’s lighter fare than usual. I say it not to complain (I still love how little food I need to be satiated for a LONG time), but more to document in case I see a bump up next week.
* Heck, while I’m talking about food, lemme just say that this week started week 3 of chuck roast for breakfast, and like a dog with kibble, I am SO excited for my breakfast every morning. It’s legit what motivates me to get out of bed and train: knowing that I have that waiting for me at the end of the workout. I genuinely don’t know if there’s ever any going back from this Maximum Definition Diet approach.
* I’m thinking VERY far into the future and thinking about my mass gaining phase after my second round of Operator before my competition on 26 Jul. I came up with the idea of taking Grey Man and making it Building the Monolith-esque. Instead of A/B/A, B/A/B, just stick with A/B/A on repeat each week. This would have me squatting twice a week and deadlifting once a week, and that deadlift workout would be a ROM progression mat pull cycle. I’d pair a press with the squat workout, because I’m prioritizing that lift, and then a bench press with the deadlift workout. This makes the assistance pretty simple to figure out as well: I’d put GHRs on the squat days and lever squats on the deadlift day, so I’m still training posterior and anterior chain 3x a week. I’m thinking either incline bench or dips on the press days, and behind the neck press on the bench days. For that “either incline or dips” discussion, I could legit do 1 on 1 day and 1 on the other, but I’d be straying a bit far from the frequency principle at that point. I’d want some back work, although there’s a fair chance I’ll keep the chins between sets of everything as that’s been good to bring back. So perhaps make chins a “free movement” and then have a row on the press days: either DB rows or a landmine row. What’s left is not programmed assistance: abs, reverse hyper, pull aparts, and possibly some shrugs. I learned from my last go-round that I don’t want to program weight/loads for those things. And there’s a fair chance I’ll keep in the daily sandbags, and perhaps be naughty on the weekends and still do some sort of strongman loading work, taking full accountability of the impact it will have on my recovery. I’ve run the Mass Protocol in earnest at least one time: I get to play around with it now and take full responsibility for my actions.
* My kid is done with music theater for the season, so we get our Monday nights back. I’ll still most likely get in some sort of walk today after dinner, but it’ll be good to breathe.
200lb+ sandbag over 50" bar for 1 min, rest for 2, 5 rounds total
Notes:
* Got triples every round, with a fourth threatened. I have the bag better set up as far as slack goes, and practicing reps. Technique is coming along. Still playing it tender with the forearms. No issues with cardio.
* Also got in my push ups, squats, and a bunch of walking and yard work today.
Friday, May 9, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3529
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (0445 natural wake up, 45 seconds before alarm, late night, slept in)
* Got to bed late last night, so decided to get in 45 extra minutes of sleep and just really dial in the training today. Normally, I meander a little bit in the morning, take the warm ups a little slow and ease into things. Instead, got out of bed right away, booked it downstairs, hit the majority of my warm-up sets but with no rest between and kept VERY strict on the 2 minute rest intervals. Managed to get in the most important parts of the workout: just cut out the abs, pull aparts, swings and low intensity rower time. And this is exactly why I settled on Tactical Barbell: it’s adaptable that I can add to it as needed, but when I need to just get the job done, the base is enough.
* Still playing the razor’s edge with my elbows/forearms, and I feel like I’m winning. I cut out the daily chins yesterday, and today, after the first set of squats, I focused on putting the bar higher on my back. Pain doesn’t present DURING the squat, but when I rack the bar, most likely as I suddenly shift the weight off my back and directly onto the arms. Having it higher up on the back limits that, and ultimately makes the squat harder anyway, so that’s a win. I also think cutting the chins on Thursday makes sense given that on Friday I do Cindy. That may just be a way forward for the future.
* I am thinking that for my next training cycle I'll rotate in SSB squats in order to give the arms a break. It may be a forever way forward with TB: Alternate between SSB front squats, buffalo bar squats and SSB squats with training cycles.
* Press felt very strong today.
* I was crushing Cindy at the start. My conditioning is very solid there. Around round 9 I start regretting my life choices, and then I hold on until it’s over. I tied last week’s performance with 5 more pounds in the vest, so that’s pretty clutch. I REALLY get toasty doing this workout, as along with the vest I throw on a shirt because the webbing of the vest will chew up my torso during push ups and chins otherwise. Also worth noting that I do the push ups on patio pavers, because otherwise the vest will run into the floor before I get a full ROM, so I’m doing my best to really get the most out of this. Consequently, my pecs are always sore after this workout, which is pretty cool.
* Tang Soo Do was pretty fun last night. Got to do some improvisation on grab self-defense, and some breakfalls. Also got in a decent 2+ mile walk after dinner last night, and my daily sandbag. Ended up with about 22k steps overall.
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3528
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (0348 natural wake up, snooze until 0355)
* Every week this remains one of the best favors I do for myself. The day after deadlifting I’m pretty beat up, and this becomes pretty tonic. Since it’s the easy week, I went without the vest, but I upped the incline a bit to allow some sort of challenge without pushing the pace any harder. My feet are finally in a good way after my race, and with my trip to Italy and Greece coming up in 3 weeks, I want to keep it that way. I intend to do the European thing and do a lot of walking, and I bought a brand new pair of Bearfeet shoes to get me there.
* Took my Thursday weigh in and came in at 81.1, compare to 80.9 last week, so things are pretty consistent. I don’t really care to be any lighter at this point, but may push just a little harder in these last few weeks to allow for gluttony on my vacation.
* This marks 2 months of gum sobriety: not a single stick or piece. I’m not opposed to ever having any again, but I’m appreciating not using it right now. If nothing else, I can say it’s to comply with the Maximum Definition Diet. Eliminating the artificial sweeteners has most likely done me some good.
* Tang Soo Do was low intensity yesterday, but fun. Lot of creativity in one steps. Got another class tonight. We’re also doing pretty well on our family walks post dinner these days.
Sets of 5 chins between sets (55 total before moving on)
(4) Texas Deadlift Bar mat pulls
15+6+6x405
ASSISTANCE
4 rounds of
* 10x80 DB rows
* 10x270 reverse hyper
* 6 standing ab wheels
* 20 axle curls
BREAKFAST
40 minute walk while truck got maintenance
Notes:
* Very interesting mental shift happened yesterday: while I was walking my dog and thinking about my next day of training, I caught myself thinking “I get to deadlift tomorrow” vs “I have to deadlift tomorrow”. I was pretty delighted with myself for that.
* Used sets of 5 in the warm up AND the main work for the chins between sets. I’m getting better at chins, but I find myself gravitating toward the wider grips, avoiding the narrower ones, and I can feel a familiar ache in the elbows. I’ll keep my eye on things. I should note that I SAY “elbows” but I really mean more “forearm flexors/extensors”, similar to what I run into from too much aggressive grip work. I may start eliminating the daily chins, and just focus on volume in the training itself.
* I decided to let the squat bar hang low today on the low bar. Specifically, I allow myself something of a forward shrug before I unrack the bar, to get it to really settle in the meat of my lower traps/rear delts. It just feels better to squat that way, and my knee continues to appreciate this change. I feel like I’m still doing myself a service by taking these squats so much deeper than I ever did in the past.
* I really focused on getting my hips under my shoulders at the start of the mat pulls, and it paid off. I broke the weight off the mats comically easily and had TONS of energy for the set as a result. Managed to make it to 8 reps before having to take my first breath, which is a 1 rep PR in that regard, and I’m still not taking any cluster to failure like I used to. My hips feel much better as a result. This seems like a solid middle ground to operate off of.
* Ran out of time on the assistance. Was wanting to get in 5 rounds. But I still got value out of that.
* I had to take my truck in for regular maintenance, so I used the downtime to get in a short walk. I managed 3 miles with the pup last night as well. We’ll be doing Tang Soo Do tonight, but it’s one steps night, so not a whole lot of energy demand.
Row for 2 minutes, hop off, 20 KB swings w/24kg bell, row 2 minutes, hope off, 10 snatches per arm, repeat until 15 minutes is up
Notes:
* It’s the heavy week of lifting, which means the light week of conditioning, and Fobbit Intervals looked like exactly what I needed there. Basic means going from 20 minutes to 15, but I was pretty surprised with how effective of a conditioning hit this workout had. The rowing is more just to keep the heart rate in a constant elevated state: the money is on the KB work. It’s basically short burst intensity, 2 minutes active rest, repeat.
* Been a LONG time since I did any sort of KB snatch, but thankfully I was never good at them in the first place, so this felt as awful as before. They definitely were the start of the show for getting my heart rate up, but they also tend to beat up my elbows, so something to watch out for. I’m actually thinking this could work by throwing in some ABCs instead.
* Got in a nice hour long walk last night while my kid was at music theater rehearsals. Also been getting in my lunchtime walks. The consistency is paying off, along with he time in the sun, because I’m really leaning out, just in time for the cruise.
* Got some zipties for my sandbag to make it a bit more like what I’d see in competition. It was a little tricky to handle yesterday as a result, but I’ll have plenty of time to get in more reps.
* Knees were a little sore this morning. Wondering if I’m seeing the effect of Cindy as an assistance WOD, along with all the walking around from the weekend. Cindy will be cut after this cycle, so not the biggest concern, but something to track on. I’m also a little tender from sun exposure, which made the squat bar slightly uncomfortable, but nothing game changing.
* Had the bar a bit too low on the back for the first set. Put it up higher for the next 2.
* Pleased with how the press moved. Thought it was going to feel heavier.
* I had 50 reps of chins between warm ups and sets between sets before I started the EMOM, having me end with 130 total reps. However, the 4th rep of each round was getting sloppy at the end, so I’m going to stick with 4s until it’s clean. Dips were a pleasant surprise in performance: 170 total, which is 30 reps ahead of where I was in the prep week.
* Those rower intervals were solid at the end. More recovery time, to allow for stronger intervals. This is the easy week of conditioning, so that may feature in other workouts.
* Weighed in at 82.1kg this morning, which is a .9kg drop from the previous week. Once again, these are different, as they’re post carb up weigh ins. I’ll take a Thursday weigh in as well to track on Deltas, but I’m still seeing trends in the downward direction, and my abs are coming in deeper.
* I realized the technique that works on log works here too. Don't row the bag into my lap: deadlift it, then grab it. This will save my elbows.
* I used an extra ziptie on the bag, and it lasted for 4 rounds before breaking. I'll need to rig that up again, because it really changed things.
* This was much better than my last time. I'm getting better with the technique. I'll need to start getting in more reps soon.
* Spent the rest of the day walking around at the Renassance festival. Got a cool new gym flag that says "Victory or Valhalla", some raw local honey, and other goodies. Also got my turkey leg
And dinner was 20 smoked chicken wings, so a LOT of white meat/poultry today
Go Gironda.
Friday, May 2, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3523
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (0400 natural wake up: 30 seconds before the alarm)
* TGIF. I’ve been exhausted this week, primarily due to the emotional events with the dog on Monday and then just not really having any breaks since then. We ended up canceling Tang Soo Do last night, since kiddo had a musical performance which, though we COULD have made both events, it would have just been too much stress. Absolutely the right call: went to bed early and slept like I was dead. Woke up feeling much better. Sore in the traps from deadlifts, but otherwise good. I’ve noticed I’ve had a good amount of muscular soreness these past 2 weeks. Part of that is novel stimulus, but I wonder if the two meals along with cutting breakfast from 16oz to 12 on the meat is impacting recovery.
* For the last 2 sets of squats, I set the bar a little higher on my traps. I don’t need to go as low as possible, and doing this should put my elbow in a good spot to keep from getting bungled. Still very pleased with the depth I’m achieving, and my knee keeps feeling better with this approach.
* Press is feeling heavier than I like, which is most likely a result of my bodyweight dropping slightly. I’m getting leaner and leaner, but I have to ensure it’s not at the cost of muscle.
* I was flying through CINDY at the start. I honestly wonder if I’d have better results treating it like a true EMOM and resting at the end of the set to recover, but I’m doing this ultimately to prep for Murph, which is about suffering. 5lb vest doesn’t impact much, but it does restrict my movement on chins, so I want to get used to that feeling. Only a 20 second delta between weighted and unweighted, which is nice.
* Realized I didn’t do any KB swings. I’ll have to make a point to include them. They’re good for me.
* Got in the daily sandbag yesterday. Today may be canx due to weather.
Speed: 3.5 Incline: 5.0 for first 2.5 miles, 5.5 for second 2.5 miles Distance: 5 miles Time: 85 mins
9 chins
Notes:
* Keeping the pace on the easy side and just pushing the incline. Figure that will be good for my feet, as trying to walk too fast is how I hurt the fascia in my foot previously.
* This was a good return to rucking. It's been a while. According to my watch, I got my HR up to 110 at one point.
* Still getting in the daily chins. Had to skip the sandbag yesterday due to weather. Tang Soo Do was a little lower intensity, but I needed that after my deadlift day.
* Weighed in at 80.9kg, which seemed more accurate. If I keep on eating the family meal on Sunday, I may make Thursday my more permanent weigh in day, as it's a little closer to reality, and closer to when I would weigh in for a competition.
Axle strict press 3x5x163+1 push press rep per set
Sets of 4 chins between sets
(5) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat PUlls 15+6+6x405
ASSISTANCE
4 round circuit of * 10x80lb DB rows * 10x270 reverse hyper * 8 HLR * 20 axle curls
CONDITIONING
5 minutes low intensity rower
Notes:
* Got to bed a little later than usual last night. Just had a lot to get done after Tang Soo Do. Still enough energy to train.
* Squats felt easier. Very natural.
* On the mat pulls, the very first rep, I was using more hip than leg to break the weight off the floor. Focused on getting my hips underneath my shoulders for the remaining breaks off the floor and felt much better. I'll need to be disciplined about that.
* Got in 1 more round of the assistance than last time. Lower back was getting a little pissy in the second round, but I was able to adjust and get more out of it.
* Conditioning post workout is more like a cooldown. Just getting in a little more back work. Which, on that note, with warm ups, I got in 55 chins total on this workout.
* Tang Soo Do is on the schedule for tonight as well.
* I discovered I’m actually rowing so hard that I’m moving the rower across the floor of my utility room. I scooted back and almost ran into the water heater. Only I could travel in a stationary rower. I may put down a mat underneath to prevent this in the future.
* I’m basing that 25 seconds off of that average run time for master’s sprinters for 200m I looked up. For the first round, I thought it was a little too short, but by round 3 I discovered it was a good amount of time. I can really throw effort into it for that short chunk of time, and get my heart rate up and lungs burning.
* Time on the rower has been good to let my stress fracture and plantar fasciaitis heal up. And I’m getting in that pulling volume. Which was also the point of those follow on chins: VERY sub max, but racking up some daily volume.
* I woke up surprisingly sore. My lifting training is still having a novel stimulus effect on me. Nice to feel that way again.
* Yesterday’s evening walk got a little compromised. My 15 year old pug had a medical emergency. They’re doing well now, but it was concerning for a time being, and we rushed them to urgent care, then got in a little walk while they did some bloodwork. Came away with a bunch of meds. Stress was a bit high from that, Valkyrie and I went to bed early and passed out. Was happy it was my day to sleep in. Still got in my 10k steps though.
* Tang Soo Do is on the agenda for tonight.
* Noticed a night and day difference in my physique last night from the carb refeed and healing in general. Wild how it works.
1 min on/1 min off for 5 rounds (10 minutes total) max effort
1 min cooldown
Notes:
* I’ll frame some context: I went to sleep on Saturday and was woken up twice in the middle of the night by my bowels, and had 2 similar emergency moments on Sunday. For dinner on Saturday, I drove an hour to pick up my Valkyrie’s favorite Hawaiian BBQ and bring home. When I called in my order for a loco moco, they said “Sorry, we’re all sold out…WAIT! We have one left: you can have a loco moco”. I think I’ve learned, when they’re down to the last one: don’t eat that one. Curiously enough, I had noted that my physique was looking particularly washed out before the stomach sickness hit, and once again I see the correlation between physical illness and how my body presents. But last night we still did the family meal, which was a new recipe: cheeseburger alfredo casserole, which we had alongside some biscuits and a small slice of homemade peanut butter cheesecake and a snickerdoodle with raw honey for dessert. I woke up this morning looking much leaner and more filled out, and weighed in at 83.0kg, which is .5kg above last week. Given the wild nature of my biology currently, and that I’m on the Maximum DEFINITION diet and not the maximum weight loss diet, I’ll take “heavier and leaner” as a victory. This also reinforces a lesson I already knew: I can’t carb load on dessert. I tried that last week with the easter meal. I can include dessert, but I need some complex carbs as well.
* For the chin count, I got in 30 during my warm-ups, going with sets of 5, and started off the EMOM with 55 in the bank, totaling 125 for the workout. I also got 160 total dips, which is a 10 rep PR from last week.
* 315 on my back felt heavy in the warm-ups, but once I got under the bar for the work sets, it was solid. I have to exercise a little discipline to not put the bar TOO stupidly far down my back, but I am noticing my right knee feels better and better each week with his low bar set up. Elbows are holding on as well, which is the determining x-factor, especially while I pursue strongman goals. That sandbag over bar really beat it too hell, and daily chins and low bar squatting on top of that can get it in a bad way.
* The press felt heavy, but manageable. Push press reps were solid.
* The rower was a good effort. Glad I got it in. Good on my heart and getting in more pulling volume.
* My daily sandbag carries felt really strong yesterday. Got the bag in a good position quickly. The less energy I can waste there, the more on the carry.
* Tonight is supposed to be a walk with the Valkyrie, but we have some bad storms rolling in. May have to pivot.
11 minutes/2000 meters on the rower (low intensity)
Notes:
* My dog has been on the mend, which, in turn, has meant my sleep has been better. After sparring nights, it’s a little tough to get the energy back down to get to sleep, but last night was really good.
* I woke up super stiff. Between the mat pulls and the sparring, my back was pretty tight. Thankfully, I’ve got more time to warm up these days, so I spent some time hanging from the bar and twisting and get in some extra reps on the warm ups to get a little more limbered up. When I got under the bar for the first work set, things felt solid, and I was getting to the depth I wanted.
* No chins between sets of main work due to the assistance having a full 100 reps. Wanted to approach it fresh.
* Push press wasn’t quite as strong due to that lower back stiffness.
* My time on Cindy is a small PR compared to my last effort, but when I take the context that the last time Cindy was performed in isolation compared to today where I performed it after the main work and in this state of fatigue, I’ll take the W. The big thing I focused on was not having to break the chin sets into 2 pieces like I did last time, so that was the real W. This should get me in a good way for Murph.
* Still figuring out how I want to do ab work and swings. I may also want to bring back that front rack hold. I don’t want to put too much assistance into this, as the whole point is for this to be Operator, but I can accept the consequences.
* Low intensity was the right call on the rower after this, because I was pretty gassed from Cindy, so really assistance and conditioning blended into each other. Just using the rower for the back volume, which is ALSO conditioning and assistance blending into each other.
* I only had 1 round in the tournament last night, going against our Senior black belt, but I hit him with a hook kick to the head that was so beautiful that our head instructor stopped the tournament in order to laud me for it, and the whole dojang was in agreement. It was one of those “roll a natural 20” sorta moments, where I set it up to look like a roundhouse and caught him completely defenseless flush on the other side of his face. It was my only point for the night, but a good one, and then, at the end of the class, I got to be king of the ring, which was redeeming. Got in a lot of movement during warm ups as well: just feeling springy and active.
Thursday, April 24, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3516
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (0354 natural wake up, snooze until 0400)
* With my fitness test later today, and all I’ve put my body through over these past few days, this was 100% the right call. My upper back was incredibly sore upon waking this morning: a result of those mat pulls. I’m discovering that the strength is still there, but the structure needs rebuilding. Slow and steady.
* Slow and steady describes the pace today as well. 3.5mph is a comfortable pace for me at this point. Moving forward, I’m going to keep around there or 3.8 and focus on just upping the incline and keeping the ruck on.
* Got in some chins yesterday as part of my daily effort. Still keeping 20 the minimum goal, with room to go higher as needed, using elbow pain as the governing metric.
* On top of my daily sandbag yesterday, 2 sparring classes of Tang Soo Do had me in the Dojang for 2.5 hours, and was a solid workout. We got in a lot of practice rounds before the in school tournament, so I got in a lot more activity than usual. For the first class, I got a bye in the first round and then squared off against my kiddo, so I took the match into sudden death with each of us at 2 points before giving them an opening to get the final point and advance to the semi-finals, wherein they fought well but were beaten by judging. My Valkyrie was able to avenge the family in the finals. For the second class, I got to face off against one of our junior higher level members, and I once again used it as an opportunity to show them some angles while challenging myself by restricting myself to hands only. Took it to sudden death and scored a final point to get to the semi-finals, wherein I face off against our senior black belt. I lost to judging: had a judge actually call for point BEFORE the black belt had thrown a technique, and then when they threw a technique after the call, award the point to the black belt…which makes me wonder what they were calling for before that. But after class we did a “king of the ring” style single point elimination sparring, where I held on for the entirety of the class and got to face off against the other king in the other ring, scoring a victory by leading them in a circle straight into a roundhouse to the head. Just a good night of activity. As much as I wish we did something harder contact, I have fun playing this game.
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3515
**OPERATION PLANET MONGO**
AM WORKOUT (0340 natural wake up, snooze until 0400)
* Got in 25 chins during the warm up via sets of 5, and snuck in a 5 rep set during the main work to total 50 chins for the workout.
* Squats were feeling even better this morning. Very solid depth. Press was strong as well.
* Those mat pulls are coming back very strong. The biggest variable is dealing with the acid reflux like sensation while I’m bracing. I have to rebuild that capacity. But otherwise, I’m not touching failure on these: still stopping a rep or 2 shy of all out grinders. Allowing myself to go really high in the reps on this and give myself plenty of runway to grow.
* The original goal was a 5 round assistance circuit, but I could feel my back being tender on the rows, so called it at 3 sets. I can add sets per week to match the increase in training intensity. I went too heavy on the initial round of curls and walked it back to just the axle for a set of 20, getting a good pump.
* With how intense today was, and my previous 2 days of training, I opted for low intensity on the rower and just focused on technique and getting in even more volume on my back.
* Got in a 2 mile walk with the Valkyrie yesterday, and continued my daily sandbag work with an emphasis on max distance carry. Got in my daily 20 chins as well. My elbow continue to remain feeling awesome, and that’s going to be the metric I focus on to determine how things are going. I noticed that they were doing great leading up to my competition, which is a rarity for me.
* Double class of Tang Soo Do tonight, and it’s sparring week, so that should be a good workout. Tomorrow is a fitness test, so my morning workout is going to be a recovery walk rather than a ruck, as my foot is still not fully healed from my 10 mile race and I don’t want to push it too stupidly.
* 2 minutes max effort (as max as can be done in 2 minutes) rower
* 3 minutes rest
Notes:
* Per Planet Mongo, my emphasis is on the rower vs sprinting. I've got the resistance set at 5, which, if nothing else, I know is the middle resistance setting. The first 2 minute round was a very hard effort, but by round 3 I started petering out in the final minute of the 2 minute rounds. Still giving it my all, but by objective measures of the console my output wasn't as strong as it was at the start. Part of that is simply the exhausting nature of the workout, but the other part is me not giving it enough rest for the sake of squeezing this workout into the time I'm allotted. The protocol allows for up to 5 minutes of rest, and I should really consider that sometime. But for now, this is still doing a good job of taxing my conditioning, and I think alternating between this and Oxygen debt 101 would do me some good.
* Trying to focus on technique as much as I can while still getting in good power. Want to pull with my back rather than my arms.
* My left groin is still a little buggy: I apparently borked it harder than I thought at Tang Soo Do. Felt it kinda slip on my walk with the pup and the Valkyrie yesterday. It's just tender, but I have to watch out that it doesn't become more.
* I signed up for that strongman competition I was talking about, and it honestly works out pretty perfectly with my schedule. I'll complete this 6 week cycle, have 1 extra week of training before my cruise, then have almost 2 full weeks off before coming back to have a full 6 weeks to run another cycle of Operator before the competition. The events will be very easy to work into my current training, and, in turn, I already did some max sandbag carry work yesterday, and intend to continue that daily habit along with the chins per Planet Mongo.
Sets of 4 chins immediately after all sets of main work
ASSISTANCE
20 minute EMOM
* 8 dips first 10 rounds, 7 dips final 10 rounds
* 3 chins
* 2 HLR
* 10 band pull aparts
Lateral raise dropset
10x35, 5x35, 2.5x35, Empty hands x 35
KB swings
15x40kg
CONDITIONING
5 rounds of 45 seconds on/1 minute off on the rower (max intensity)
5 minutes easy rower
Notes:
* Training program name comes from the Paul Kelso quote in Powerlifting Basics Texas Style “We’re going to build you a back from the Planet Mongo”. That is the primary goal of this training block: rebuild my back to what it used to be, which is why I’m doing so many damn chins. Along with what got done in the main work and assistance, I was doing sets of 5 chins between my warm-up lifts, which had me at 30 chins before the workout started, and 110 chins total at the end of the workout.
* Squats are feeling awesome. The prep week was worthwhile: took a little bit to rediscover my form, but now it feels natural again. Depth is really on point. That little groin pull I suffered in Tang Soo Do on Saturday is still somewhat annoyingly present, but didn’t present during the squats themselves. I think I need to drop the j-hooks 1 more level, as I’m having to calf raise the weight back into the rack at the end.
* Really trying to drill those push press reps hard at the end of the pressing.
* The assistance circuit is lifted straight out of the Building the Monolith assistance work, and put into a format to get it done in 20 minutes. Having a headstart on the chins helps, but ideally I’ll finish this training cycle being able to get in the 200 dips and 100 chins in that 20 minutes time. The Hanging Leg Raises/ab work is additional, but I find it valuable. I’m up 10 total dips from last week, so progress is moving along.
* I found myself with an abundance of time due to the minimum effective dose on the mainwork and just simply moving quicker this morning, so I get in the lateral raises and some swings just for good measure. I SHOULD keep swings in, but I may hit them heavier for fewer reps than my previous attempts. And lateral raises fit well with the high volume of assistance for today.
* Didn’t have much gas for the rower after all that, so got in what I could, and then went easy to cool down and get in even more pulling volume. I’m already feeling soreness in the lats from all the work in the previous week, so things are looking well.
* I’ll be getting in a walk this evening with the Valkyrie and the puppy, and this is Tang Soo Do sparring week, so lots of activity there. We have to compress it to a double class on Wed, possibly another on Thurs, and then a class on Saturday. I also have a fitness test on Thursday.
* I ended up not having a lot of carbs during Easter dinner, since the ham was so good that I just plain wanted that more than anything else. I had a small roll that was more a vehicle for butter than anything else, and a small serving of corn casserole. I got my carbs in dessert: Valkyrie made a peanut butter cheesecake that was absolutely phenomenal. Helped myself to 2 servings, and used that fuel very well this morning.
* Weighed in at 82.8kg. A jump up, but given I’m full of salty goodness from ham and carbs from cheesecake, I’m not surprised. Currently goal is to continue leaning out as I approach my cruise in June, and then…
* I found another competition I’m interested in. 26 Jul, so gives me just about 6 weeks after my return from my cruise to train for it. Events are Axle clean and press away, Frame Deadlift, wheelbarrow run (new one for me), sandbag over bar and ANOTHER max distance sandbag carry. This is definitely a competition tailored to me: no throwing at all, and the weights are light enough that endurance and conditioning are going to be major factors. Be very easy to train for it. Means I’ll delay my weight gaining goals for 6 more weeks, but I’m alright with that: I can still eat plenty well and stay lean with my current approach.
Friday, April 18, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3512
AM WORKOUT (0525 Wake up via Valkryie's alarm)
**PREP WEEK**
Buffalo bar low bar squat
3x5x275
Alternate w/
Axle strict press from rack
3x5x143+1 push press rep per set
ASSISTANCE CIRCUIT
5 rounds of
5 standing ab wheel
3 chins
20 pull aparts
CONDITIONING
3 rounds of 1 min on/1 min off on rower
Notes:
* Actually did something smart: felt that all too familiar ache in my left hamstring and decided to shut down the heavy work after the 3 sets of squats. Original plan was to take 225 for a max rep ride at the end, but realized this was prep week, and it would do me no good to get hurt before the real training starts. I imagine this pain is a result of the 300 squats, which lets me know putting Cindy on Fridays is the right call: more time to heal.
* Outside of the ache, squats felt strong and natural. As I get back into squat shape things should really come along.
* Brought back that push press at the end of the set idea. I think that will have value going forward.
* I did sets of 5 chins between my warm ups and after my work sets, getting 65 total before that assistance circuit, for 80 total in the workout. Chins are already starting to feel easier. Be good to recapture that.
* That little bit of rower work at the end was an excellent use of 5 minutes. On the third round I could feel myself peter out. This also felt restorative on my hamstring.
Thursday, April 17, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3511
AM WORKOUT (0344 natural wake up)
**PREP WEEK**
"OXYGEN DEBT 101" modified on Peleton
25 second bike sprint
30 second rest
Repeat 3x
Rest 3 min
4 rounds total
20 chins
Notes:
* Final hotel workout. Still want to use the equipment I have access to. I looked up average 200m sprint times for Masters sprinters (my age category) and found them to be between 24 and 26 seconds, so settled on 25 to meet the intent of the exercise. It definitely worked; legs and lungs were broken.
* Still getting in those daily chins.
* Going to try to beat the weather out of here. Will either get home today or stay with my inlaws and travel tomorrow.
* The early hours for this trip are forcing early wake ups and shorter morning workouts. Basically split up a workout as a proof of concept.
* Cindy was moving well at almost EMOM pace, but it started to fall off at the chins. I got through the first 10 rounds without an issue, but around round 12 or so I had to break between reps 4 and 5, and toward the end 3 and 4. Push ups got a little sluggish around round 15 or 16. Given the elevation change, I'm more than pleased with this as a baseline.
* Rest of that workout was some general assistance work that I want to include. Using cables because I don't have them at home. Got in a good pump.
* PM workout was the heavy work, as I had access to a gym where I'm working. It was a Crossfit style gym, and I forgot that Crossfitters are allergic to center knurling on a bar, so I wasn't willing to push the squat too terribly hard. But the 3x5 at 315 was plenty heavy: I think that's going to be a good 80% 1rm weight. Still focusing on bringing that form back. It's a bit Layne Norton/Steve Goggins with how I low bar, but it means the depth is pretty awesome. My knee continues to feel great through this process. And considering I did 300 bodyweight squats in the morning before this, it's a good sign.
* Barbell press honestly felt awful: the axle is just a great implement. But I was able to move it well enough.
* Went with the cables for the rows because, again: I don't have them at home.
Tuesday, April 15, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3509
AM WORKOUT (0335 natural wake up, snoozed until 0345)
**PREP WEEK**
"INDOOR POWER INTERVALS"
2 min max effort on peleton 3 min rest
5 rounds total
20 chins
PM (1440)
6 chins
1 hour walk
6 chins
Notes:
* Hotel fitness center has a peleton bike, so I decided to give it a spin (puns!). With the elevation change, this was a total lungbreaker AND a leg breaker. Never realized how much intense cycling can blow up the quads. Tried to meet the stated intent of the workout of getting 80-90% max effort for the full 2 minutes, but was definitely petering out in the later rounds. In truth, I should have rested longer than 3 minutes, but I have a tight timeline during this trip. I can see this working well with my rower.
* Making an effort to get back to some daily chins, and greater chin volume in general as part of "Planet Mongo". There is a chinning bar in the hotel fitness center, so I'm making the most of it. I forgot to log yesterday that I was using all manner of grips during yesterday's workout, and intend to continue that practice.
* May actually get in another walk today. It's just something I like doing with my downtime.
* I notice I tend to get/stay more sore when I'm in higher elevation. Wonder if there is something to that.
* Been plotting out my next training plan. I'm honestly leaning back toward Operator rather than Zulu: I'll map out some thoughts in a bit.
Monday, April 14, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3508
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
**PREP WEEK**
MAIN WORK
Buffalo bar squat (low bar)
2x5x275
1x8x275
ALTERNATE w/
Axle strict press
3x5x143
3 chins performed between all sets
20 minute EMOM circuit of chins, dips, ab wheel and pull pull apart
Buffalo Bar Squat
1x20
Rower
90 seconds on max intensity, 60 seconds rest, 90 seconds on max intensity
PM (1620)
1 hour walk
Notes:
* It's a travel day today: after that workout, I got in a car and drove for 7 hours into Cheyenne Wyoming, which has an even higher elevation than Denver, so that's going to be fun for conditioning. But along with that, I won't be able to follow anything specific, so I'm using this week to test out some ideas and get some feelers.
* This was my first time squatting with a bar on my back in over 12 weeks, AND it was my first time squatting low bar in probably 2 years. I've proven whatever point I had with my high bar squat, and I've gotten the benefits: I am sinking these squats stupidly deep now, with much better mobility. I also don't have the bar quite as low as I used to. I'm going to do my best to blend the two styles into something useful. My right knee feels awesome, which is a sure sign I'm doing something right to it.
* The weight for the squat was just some kentucky windage. I think that's a good 70% weight for a future training cycle. Went for not-max reps on the final set, but enough to get in a struggle, and then went with 20 reps just to remember how that feels. I'm back to wearing a belt as well, because again: I've proven my point.
* This future training block is going to be inspired by the Paul Kelso quote of "build a back from the planet Mongo". Pull volume is going to be high. For this workout in particular, I stole the assistance work from Building the Monolith, as I realized that was easier than coming up with it on my own. I got 40 chins done during the main work, and 60 done during the 20 minute EMOM by doing 3 per round. I got in 140 dips, 100 pull aparts doing 5 per round, and was alternating between 1 and 2 reps on the ab wheel. Will make it a goal to get in more dips total, and get the reps per set on the chins higher. I'm thinking another day with the curls and rows in it per day 2 of BtM makes sense, and even a lot of the stuff from day 3 can work. I also still have that plan to do Crossfit Cindy to prep for Murph on one of the training days. It's all slotting in pretty nicely.
* That little bit with the rower at the end was a solid gasser. I want to make it that I cap off sessions with some manner of conditioning, even if it's not straight from TBII, and ideally the rower. Really just want to bring my back...back.
First event was the press medley, and this was what I've been training for this whole time. I was an awesome presser at one point, and then it fell apart, as my press strength tends to correlate with my bodyweight, and when I dropped 35lbs, my press plummeted and I effectively "forgot" how to press. My last comp, I totally bombed the event, and I was up against the same guy as last time.
I did zero training for the keg and the axle, because I knew I was strong enough to take care of those on their own: the log was the white whale here. That said, I bobbled the keg a little at the start, but got it under control to one motion it. The axle I may have been able to one motion, but I kept it safe and continentaled it and pressed. I dropped it from overhead, which I felt sheepish about.
Finally getting to the log, I knew 2 reps was the mark to beat, as I was thankfully in the position of going second in these events due to when I signed up. Nice thing was that this log was smaller diameter than what I trained with, although the handles were further apart. This was also my first time wearing my grip shirt for the log clean. In retrospect, the log didn't feel heavy when I picked it up, and I sunk it in deep and felt the shirt really do an awesome job gripping it on the way up, making the clean effortless, which was the whole goal of my training block. From there, I muscled out a press just like I used to.
This was a clean once and press away event, but the press took so much effort that I dropped the log so I could have time to recover before trying another rep. I'm not sure if that was the 100% right call looking back, and maybe I coulda gotten more reps if I kept control, but things happen. I heard how much time I had left and knew I could get in one more rep if I took my time and set up strong, which is exactly what I did. I muscled out the other press and felt some redemption for all my previous pressing bumbles: the training paid off.
The press put me in a good place psychologically. It had fallen apart so hard leading up to this, and being able to reclaim it was huge for me. I’m feeling like a strongman again.
**SECOND EVENT** (Car deadlift max reps)
Because we tied, when we went into the car deadlift, I got to go second again. The guy I was competing against is a self-confessed poor deadlifter. He got 2 reps and then pulled out, saying he felt something in his back pop. I only needed 3 reps to win. It was at that point I decided exactly why I had shown up: for me. Not to win, but to have the best competition I was going to have. Because I cared more about the experience of deadlifting vs winning. I’ve never had a chance to pull with a bar in front before on a car deadlift, I have ALWAYS wanted to do that, and there’s no telling if I’ll ever get to do it again. I didn’t want to let the opportunity pass me by. And I got to prove to myself that I still have some pulls in me. I managed 11 reps within the allotted time, with the 12th getting edged out by time.
But the best part was I felt absolutely fine after it was done. Despite giving it my all, I didn't blow my load on the second event. All the training leading up to this paid off immensely: my recovery was on point, and I could give maximal output in an event without concern for downstream impacts.
I'm also really delighted because I spent the first 9 weeks of the training cycle training "wrong" for this event: I thought it was going to be side handles. When I learned it was front handle, I had to quickly pivot, but it turns out I still have some pulls in me.
**THIRD EVENT** (200lb keg, sandbag and husafel stone carry 45')
This is the one that I was employing daily training on, and I was curious how that was going to work out. Specifically, it was the sandbag pick I wanted to speed up, because I was taking FOREVER to get it done in training initially. In turn, I was ONLY training with a sandbag, as it was the hardest implement for me. I don't regret that, but do have “regrets” about the event. It was mine to lose. I rushed the keg, and it caught me. “Slow is smooth, smooth is fast”. I didn’t take my time to get set to load the keg, and I lost MORE time recovering it. But I felt awesome on all the pick ups, and that was what I focused on in training. This was the second time in my life carrying a husafel stone: it wasn’t all that awful.
I lost this event by 6 seconds, which, upon reviewing the video, I could have recovered that if I loaded the keg properly at the start. That stings a little.
**FOURTH EVENT** (20, 25 and 30lb sandbag over 15' bar)
This didn't get caught on video, which is for the best, because I zeroed the event. This was supposed to be 3 sandbags thrown over a 15' bar. I really don’t like these events, but if I don’t start getting decent at them, I’m going to really limit myself in competitions. Technique is what is lacking. And zeroing this event cost me the win, because what should have been a tie between me and the other guy ended up giving him the win, because my zero got me zero points vs 1.
Thankfully, I didn't realize this at the time, and I went into the fifth event thinking that winning it would have us tie, which created some outstanding pressure to perform.
**FIFTH EVENT** (240lb stone over 48" bar)
This was another redemption event: I haven't gotten a rep on a stone event in my past 2 competitions, and blacked out on a few occasions. I've ended up glued to the stone due to tacky on a few occasions, and otherwise just didn't have the strength to get through the event. I had been training hard with my stone of steel and working hard to develop actual technique and strength to get through this. The heaviest I went in training was 205lbs on a stone of steel, but carryover is different, as this concrete stone was smaller in diameter.
The initial pick felt heavy, and I STILL used too much tacky and had to fight it on the first rep, and I got the stone low and had to fight that first rep, but after that I found my groove. The training leading up to this had me feeling comfortable with the stone, and I remembered the techniques I learned. My time with the front squats had me sinking low and bouncing back out, and I learned how to get my chest on the stone with my grip shirt. I got the 4th rep JUST in the nick of time, and watched my competitor manage 2 reps before pulling out, claiming he felt something pop in his back again.
At this point, I was elated for having won the event, thinking I got the tie, but was also elated just to finally get some points on a stones event.
**GENERAL TAKEAWAYS**
•I felt like I belonged again. No imposter syndrome. No being out of place. No feeling like a fraud. I saw myself in the mirror in between events and I looked like a strongman. My physique was filled out and thick, not stringy.
•Cardio, conditioning, and recovery were all top notch. My body feels healthy and strong. And this was after a 10 mile race last week. Tactical Barbell gets my full regards.
•Nutrition was sound as well. Didn’t need to eat at all during the comp, felt energized and level. No spikes, no crashes. Just had to keep hydration up.
