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.
Friday, April 11, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3507
AM WORKOUT (0355 natural wake up: 3 seconds before alarm)
BRIDGE WEEK
5 minutes on rower
Treadmill walk
Speed: 3.5mph
Incline: 1
Time: 65 min
Distance: 3.8 miles
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
* Woke up at 81.1kg: a full kg lighter than yesterday. However, I wanted to allow myself room to actually have breakfast this morning, so I threw on my thermals, got on the rower to break a sweat, then walked on the treadmill to keep that going. When I was done and showered, I was 79.9kg. I get to weigh in at 1000, after which point hydration will return and I’ll be squared away.
* Because I had room, breakfast was unchanged. 1lb of lamb, some liver, and an omelet of 3 pastured eggs, 5 whites, and a tablespoon of beef tallow. These are the rewards of being on point with training and nutrition leading up to the competition.
* Got my 36oz piedmontese tomahawk dry brinning right now: couldn’t think of better pre-competition fuel.
* Managed to not get hurt at Tang Soo Do last night, and this week the whole family got stripes on our belts. We’re 1 stripe away from testing, which will happen in Aug.
Thursday, April 10, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3506
AM WORKOUT (0355 wake up via alarm)
BRIDGE WEEK
Treadmill walk
Incline: 1
Speed: 3.5
Distance: 4.75 miles
Time: 1hr 21min 30sec
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
* Foot and ankle continue to improve. I’m at the point where, if I’m in a hurry, I forget that I’m hurt, and can just walk as normal. Good sign. Still keeping this very low intensity and letting the healing and recovery happen pre-comp.
* Weighed in at 82.1kg post walk. Exact same weight as yesterday, and dead on for weigh in. However, given I’d prefer NOT to weigh in completely naked tomorrow, my plan for the morning is to throw on my thermals and sweats, hit up the rower to get a sweat going and THEN walk on the treadmill and just squeeze out a little bit of water. After that, I’ll shower and weigh myself, and that outcome will determine if I fast until weigh ins at 1000 or if I eat breakfast and then weigh in. I’m in a really solid spot for bodyweight at this point, it’d be hard to screw up, but I don’t want to trip at the finish line.
* In that regard, once the competition is done, I wanna chase a final stage of leanness, which should be easy with the Maximum Definition Diet. I wanna set myself up as a totally perfect canvas to grow when I get back from my cruise. Summer leading into fall is going to be an excellent growing season: SO much good food.
* Today marks 3 weeks of gum sobriety. It was hard to break the habit those first 2 weeks, but now my instincts to chew are gone, and that’s been a good thing. That said, I typically employ gum for weight cutting, but will attempt to avoid that this time around.
* Tang Soo Do was very low energy yesterday, which is good. Really need to not pick up a stupid small injury at this point.
* Despite it being bridge week, I’m still doing the daily sandbag, because it’s honestly been a very positive thing for my development. It gets better every single day, and yesterday was no exception. I’m really able to just rip the sandbag off the ground and load it up at this point, and my throws are feeling more natural. As much as I want to move away from daily work, this seems like a good daily habit. I feel like the difference is compulsion vs desire. I WANT to get in this daily sandbag work, whereas I felt like I HAD to get in the daily work. I feel like some daily sandbag and chins will help with my goal of re-developing my back.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3505
AM WORKOUT (0355 wake up via alarm)
BRIDGE WEEK
Treadmill walk
Incline: 1
Speed: 3.5mph
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 1hr 17min
Notes:
* Foot and ankle continue to improve slowly but surely. I tell myself that I can get in some sort of resistance training if I really want to, but turns out I don’t want to: I just want to walk. Last night at Tang Soo Do, I noticed how NOT sore I was, and how much better I could move, so the fatigue dissipation is working out well for me.
* On the topic of Tang Soo Do, it was exciting last night. We stood in the center of the ring with attackers on all sides, and the goal was to defend with whatever came to mind. It was supposed to be no/light contact, but my Valkyrie got in the spirit of it and fired a straight punch right into my face and split my lip. I was proud of her, but also counseled her on how you don’t want to throw a close fist at a mouth, since my teeth also opened up a small cut on her hand, and I know those cuts can get infected pretty quick.
* Also got in a 3 mile walk yesterday after dinner, with the family. Just getting in a lot of good general activity.
* Weighed in at 82.1kg this morning after the walk. Dead on for weigh in. Still gonna keep food a little on the light side to give me the guarantee I need for Friday, but I’m in a good place. I also re-examined the steak I have, and it’s a 36oz tomahawk rather than a 32oz, so that’s even cooler.
* I’ve got a few ideas swirling around for my next training plan after the competition. One of the ideas I have is to do the bodyweight portion of Murph as my assistance work one day a week. With Zulu, I should have more time for those kinds of workouts. And I can make it like the Crossfit WOD Cindy (20 rounds of 5 chins, 10 push ups and 15 squats) to keep it simple enough. I’m thinking it’s a good year to do Murph on Memorial Day, so that would get me in a good place for it. But, of course, Chaos is the plan.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3504
AM WORKOUT (0355 wake up via alarm)
BRIDGE WEEK
Treadmill Walk
Incline: 1
Speed: 3.5 mph
Distance: 4.5 miles
Time: 1hr 17 min
Notes:
* Foot/ankle is improving, but still a little achy. Keeping within my limits, and just getting in the walks to stay active, get blood moving, and keep weight managed. On that note, I am weighing myself daily leading up to Friday, and after last night's carby meal, I was at 82.4 kg this morning, which is a solid place to be close to comp. If I'm cutting it close come Friday, I'll wear some sweats on my walk and get out the last little bit of water, but should otherwise be ok.
* Tang Soo Do tonight. Valkyrie and I have agreed to go easy on each other for One-Steps.
Monday, April 7, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3503
BRIDGE WEEK
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
Treadmill Walk
Time: 75 min
Incline: 1
Speed: 3.5mph
Distance: 4.33 miles
Notes:
* Doing everything in my power to NOT push too hard and do something stupid right now. Walks are supposed to be recovery and very slight bit of weight control (more on that in a moment). I'm dealing with what the Valkyrie suspects is plantar fasciitis in that left foot, and a little bit of swelling in the ankle, but walking honestly seems to help alleviate some symptoms. Around the 4 mile mark I was really feeling solid. This competition coming up only has 1 moving event, so I'm not too concerned, but I WOULD like to be healed before that. If the treadmill starts doing more harm than good, I'll switch to bike or rower.
* I weighed in at 81.2kg post walk, which is a .9kg drop from last week. I absolutely ate my face off this weekend recovering from the race, so that's pretty outstanding. Maximum Definition Diet really lives up to it's reputation. I'm gong to play the edge on nutrition leading up to my weigh in and see how much I can get away with. I'm already planning my post weigh in dinner: I've had a 36oz Tomahawk piedmontese ribeye in my freezer for a while now, and I can think of no better occasion to break it out.
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3502
AM WORKOUT (0520 wake up via alarm), 0730 workout
**12 LABORS: CAPTURE AND BRING BACK CERBERUS (FINAL WEEK)**
* Got it done this morning. My left foot is a little achy, around the arch, but otherwise no issues. We kept the pace comfortable, able to talk to each other the entire time. My Garmin shows that my heart rate reach a high of 155 at one point during the process. I felt good through it, and had some more miles in me when we were done.
* Right shoulder is still achy from the dog pulling on it during our walks. That should heal during this week.
* I'll keep up the daily sandbag work for now, but think heavy training has concluded. I contemplated getting some stone work in today, but at one week out from my strongman comp I'll do more harm than good with that.
* Fueled up the run with a breakfast of an omelet with 4 whole eggs, 5 whites, 10g of grassfed tallow, and 3oz of sirloin, topped with some grassfed ghee along with 11oz of air fried lamb and a piece of beef liver. The best part was after the race though. It's called "The Early Bird" because it's hosted by a local Brunch Place, and, along with cinnamon rolls and donuts at the end of the race, there was bacon. I've never had that at the end of a race before, and despite my fasting/2 meals a day approach, I couldn't possibly turn that down. It was some of the best bacon I've ever had in my life...or maybe it just always tastes that way after 10 miles. But either way, I got 2 pieces of it, and the Valkyrie gave me her 2 pieces as well. That's love right there.
* I’ve been running this race every year since 2021, and this was the best I’d ever felt doing it. Tactical Barbell did an outstanding job of balancing fatigue and stimulus to the point that I didn’t come into this carrying any fatigue at all: just ready to perform.
* Got in my daily sandbag as well. It keeps getting better.
Thursday, April 3, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3501
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
**12 LABORS: CAPTURE AND BRING BACK CERBERUS (FINAL WEEK)**
* Abided by the easy conditioning rules for this week and made this a full up recovery walk. 3.8 is still a brisk pace for me, but no weight vest and a low incline had the desired effect. I finished feeling better than I started. And by following that up with the 3 mile walk with the dog, I had 21k steps before 0800. That's off to a good start for the day.
* Got Tang Soo Do tonight. Last night was a real solid workout. It was a small class, so we just drilled the hell out of basics, with line marching down the floor before we got to a bag to strike, then line marching back for about 40 minutes of non-stop movement, followed by 10 minutes of open hand forms. Drenched with sweat when it was done.
* Piloted running up to the sandbag for yesterday's work. Glad I'm giving that a go: it should carry over well to the comp. The throws felt explosive as well.
* Weighed myself at 81.2kg after my first walk. Almost a full kilo down from yesterday. My plan for the bridgeweek is to do a lot of walking, and I can weigh in as early at 1000 on the day before the comp, so I should have no issues making weight at this rate.
* Breakfast remains unchanged, in terms of composition and deliciousness: 1lb of lamb, omelet of 3 eggs, 5 whites and 1 tablespoon of beef tallow, and a piece of beef liver.
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3500
AM WORKOUT (0355 wake up via dog)
**12 LABORS: CAPTURE AND BRING BACK CERBERUS (FINAL WEEK)**
* Got the day off work, but my nearly 15 year old pug woke up this morning at 0355 with some disaster poops, and that was 5 minutes before my alarm, so I used it as an opportunity to get up and get moving. However, I got up once in the middle of the night to take care of them before that moment, and I practically fell out of bed. My balance was way off: felt like I was on a boat. I was feeling similar at 0355, trying not to fall INTO the poop as I was cleaning it. Feeling did not go away during warm-ups, and I'm actually still a little dizzy now, but on the front squats I managed alright. However, log is historically a lift where my blood pressure makes or breaks it, and I was seeing swirls just looking down at the log before the first clean. I got it in place, but pressing it really put me in a bad way, so I shut it down at one rep (still technically within program compliance) and re-evaluated. My head got straight after that and I had some good lifts, but for the heavy cleans I shut it down at one. Best to practice succeeding vs failing.
* Still not going to my absolute limit on the mat pulls, which is for the best, especially this close to the competition. Happy with what I can put out in those circumstances. Haven't skipped a beat despite the long period of time without straight bar pulling.
* My left arch is still in pain. I'm going to employ some manner of compression, given I have to run 10 miles on it on Saturday.
* Took the dog for a long walk this morning since they won't have day care. Wanted to tire them out.
* Tang Soo Do turned out to be basics week instead of one-steps, so we got a decent workout last night, along with me getting in a 3 mile walk beforehand. Should be able to attend tonight as well. I experimented with the sandbag yesterday and started with it standing up vs on it's side, and I think that's a smarter way forward. It holds it's shape better when I do that. I also think I need to start drilling running UP to the sandbag and picking it up for the future, since that's the context I'll be executing under.
* Weighed myself this morning to get a better idea of daily fluctuations leading up to the comp. 82.1kg, same as Monday, and exactly on point for my weight class. Good place to be.
* Breakfast remains the same through the week, and I look forward to it every time.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3499
AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm)
**12 LABORS: CAPTURE AND BRING BACK CERBERUS (FINAL WEEK)**
200m sprint-30 second rest-200m sprint-30 second rest-200m sprint
3 min rest
6 minutes on rower
Notes:
* Heavy week of training, so basic week of conditioning. Worked out well, because my legs felt like lead today. Did my best to really focus on pushing off midfoot vs heal and getting the legs up high on the rebound strike, and I had at least 1 solid sprint per round and felt my lungs burning, but output wasn’t what I was used to.
* Still just playing around on the rower when I get some downtime. Not pushing hard enough to impact recovery, but trying to figure out what I’m doing with it. And it’s honestly just enjoyable. Having good equipment matters, because I never cared to use that cheap rower I bought.
* Got in a good walk after dinner last night, and the sandbags just keep getting more and more natural as I go. The Milo of Croton meets Easy Strength approach here has really panned out well for me. I think I want to keep this up after this training cycle. 1 carry a day doesn’t take much time away from me.
* I’ve got Tang Soo Do tonight. It’s one-steps week, which tends to be pretty low activity. I also am most likely working a half day today, so I may be able to get in another leisure walk.
* With my travel coming up, I started re-thinking my training strategy leading up to my next cruise, and since I’ll have 7 weeks between my return from my trip and the start of my cruise, I think I’m just going to restart my ROM progression cycle and get in one full one leading up to the cruise vs trying to rush this current cycle to completion and do a partial one leading up. I’m in no rush at this point: I’ve got nothing but time.
Monday, March 31, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3498
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
**12 LABORS: CAPTURE AND BRING BACK CERBERUS (FINAL WEEK)**
4x2x190+1 push press rep per set (missed second set)
NG weighted chins
4x2x55
ASSISTANCE
5 round circuit, 30 seconds per movement of
24kg KB swings
365lb SSB front rack hold
Dips
Standing ab wheel
Push ups
BPA
1x50, 2x25
4 minutes on rower
Notes:
* Hard to believe it’s the final week of the 12 labors, but it’s really been an outstanding development. This is the best contest prep phase I’ve had in quite some time, primarily because my mind and body lined up on this one and I actually wanted to do the training that best suited the goal. Funny that. Today, in particular, felt very strong, with only some small issues. I felt myself leaning to the left on the third set of the squats, and I lost the weight going forward on the second set of the presses, using energy to correct it and running out of gas for a push press. But the fact I had the strength to catch and correct that errant press really bodes well for my getting, as Jon Andersen puts it “cock strong”. I was also feeling MUCH better for the assistance circuit today than I was on Friday.
* Since the volume is reduced this week, I have a little more training time afforded to me, so I hopped onto the rower just to continue grooving some reps. I set the resistance to 5, whereas before it was at 1, and tried to focus on technique. It’s a nice way to get in some full body moving without an eccentric load.
* Tried a little trick on the BPAs of pointing my wrists outward, and it seemed to get me a little more stimulus. Cute little tricks picked up along the way.
* Should be getting in about an hour of walking tonight, with the Valkyrie and the puppy.
* Weighed in at 82.1kg this morning, post workout. That’s exactly the weight limit, and technically a .4kg gain from last week, but given that there was a 2.9kg drop between that week and the week before it, my body is still stabilizing. I intentionally ate like an a-hole while within the confines of the Maximum Definition diet this weekend because I have a tendency to let my bodyweight drop down too far right before competitions due to fear of missing weight (Thanks for the PTSD high school wrestling!), and I’m trying my best to hold on to this higher weight as best as I can to allow me to perform at my best. I’m at a level of weight/leanness where I can feel that difference a few pounds makes, with today feeling so strong being a great example. Getting on top of my electrolytes has been helpful as well: I’m really needing to go hard on them now that I’ve effectively carb free. Before, between the gum and the trace amounts in the Metabolic Drive, I was still probably getting in about 20g of carbs a day, but now it’s nothing.
* I’ve officially completed 1 full calendar week of the Maximum Definition diet, and about 10 days total (I started in the middle of last week, leading into it with 2 days of the Velocity Diet). It’s living up to it’s name: I’m seeing granularity in my midsection again, and my waist is shrunk in based on how my lifting belt is fitting, along with the rest of my clothes. I hit 80.0kg in the middle of the week last week, and I imagine seeing something similar after I come down from the bloat of our family meal tonight (details to follow there). I’m still sticking with only 2 meals a day, vs Vince’s recommendation of 3, and I’m not hitting the same supplement layout he recommends, instead relying on the good folks at BioTest along with my daily beef liver in place of the beef liver tablets. However, there’s room to argue that my middle of the night protein shake can count as a third meal, if I want to get precise. I also push the carb meal to once every 7 days vs every 3-5. In general: BIG fan of this approach. I love the food, I’m never hungry, I FEEL very well and strong, digestion is awesome, and, upon getting electrolytes sorted, my performance is going very well in training. I can see this being a regular thing now. While I am absent of Metabolic Drive, it’s definitely going to be my way forward for the foreseeable future, but upon it’s return, I may revert back to Feast, Famine Ferocity and have 2 week stretches of Velocity Diet and then 4 week stretches of Maximum Definition Diet. About the only thing I “miss” is sour cream. It’s one of my favorite condiments, but isn’t permitted by Vince. But I’m not hurting for delicious food or satiety.
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3497
AM WORKOUT (1000
**12 LABORS: STEALING THREE OF THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES**
* I originally started this workout as an EMOM with 205 loaded, but I had the load uncentered and the stone was WILD. I got 2 successful reps in 4 minutes (going for singles), and it took away a LOT of energy. I called my losses, unloaded and reloaded it and went for 2 minutes. At that point, I was already pretty exhausted, but I'm happy I got in some reps.
* Part of the issue was that this was a rushed workout, because today was a packed day with lots of activity. I got up and got in my 50 squats and push ups, had breakfast (details to follow), took the puppy for a 3 mile walk and then immediately knocked out this workout before changing and going to Tang Soo Do. Today was another decent TSD workout: basics and open hand forms, and we moved for the entire class. After that, we came home, Valkyrie and Kiddo had a very quick lunch and then we headed downtown to take in a musical ("Some like it hot": great comedy) before grabbing dinner on the way home (details to follow), after which point I took the puppy for a 25 minute walk and then immediately knocked out my daily sandbag carry/throw. And now I'm done, 17.6k steps in, with a few more to go.
* On the sandbag and throws: today was the best day out of the entire cycle. I actually went out in my jeans: didn't bother changing, and made the pick up super casual. I'm at the point where I can throw the bag into my lap, versus barely squeaking it by. From there, I was able to pick it up high on my torso and carry it fast, and then the regrab for the bearhug was quick and feet moved quick as well. Throws were also explosive.
* I noticed the light headedness on my last workout, and I felt it on the stones as well. I'm working to keep my electrolytes back up, but given my weight dropping and how lean I looked this morning, I've allowed myself to really push the limits on Vince's "no limit" instructions on eating meat and eggs.
Friday, March 28, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3496
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm: better night of sleep)
**12 LABORS: STEALING THREE OF THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES**
* I actually felt really good coming into this, very light, springy, and awake, but I found myself lightheaded on the first set of squats to the point that I worried about blacking out. Not as much an issue on the log, but I DID run into the issue that it slipped right off my shorts on the first clean. I’ve been wearing sweats up until this point, and they have more friction and allow me to get in a better spot to clean. This is something I’ll have to remember come comp day. I know Cerberus sells “grip shorts”, but I don’t want to go down that route quite yet. I might buy a cheap pair of sweats and make some cut off shorts.
* The fatigue really came to a head during the conditioning circuit, and specifically on the front rack hold. I was just hurting, having trouble recovering, and wanting to quit. I started running the mental diagnostics, and once again attribute this to an issue with electrolytes. I’ve been drinking more water recently, since I’ve quite chewing gum and my mouth is a little drier, and I haven’t been mixing electrolytes all of my water: some is just plain ol regular water. In addition, since I’m only eating twice a day vs the 4-5 protein feelings I was doing with my Velocity Diet approach, I’m having fewer opportunities to take in salt. I was adding salt to all of my Metabolic Drive, and though I’m salting the food I’m eating, it’s not enough to compensate, and if I WERE to add enough salt to compensate, it would be unpalatable. I actually tried to up it today for just that purpose, and ran into that: wasn’t as enjoyable as it had been prior to this point. I’d rather just drink more salt water than eat food that is akin to something Bender from Futurama would produce.
* All that said, this marks a full work week of the Maximum Definition Diet for breakfast, and I’m delighted that I am such a simple creature, because I have enjoyed every single morning of this even with it being the exact same thing each time. Although today I varied it: I re-created that omelet from yesterday, and found it did a much better job of holding all the leftover grease from the lamb. I did enjoy this omelet more than the hardboiled egg/cooked egg whites approach I’d employed before, but it’s a bit more of a time sink. I’ll see if it’s something I can carry forward. I prepped this the night before and it microwaved just fine. I’ve got 2 more legs of lamb to get through, corresponding perfectly for the 2 weeks leading up to the comp.
* On the topic of competitions, a grappling one opened up on 24 May pretty close to home (Lincoln). I’m honestly not finding myself as excited about the prospect of doing it as I have been in the past. There’s already a guy in my weight class for masters white belt, so I know I’d have competition. I’m on the fence, as it’s close to my kids birthday, but I’ll leave myself open to it. At the rate my weight is dropping, I might be in a lower weight class anyway.
* Sandbag was the best ever last night. Really becoming more and more casual. We ended up skipping TSD last night and will try to make it up on Saturday, which is going to be a packed day and I hope I can still get in some Stone of Steel work.
Thursday, March 27, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3495
AM WORKOUT (0325 natural wake up, tossed and turned until 0355 alarm)
**12 LABORS: STEALING THREE OF THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES**
* Decided on this name for the workout because my focus was on the incline vs the footspeed. 3.8 is my comfortably uncomfortable pace: it’s faster than my normal walking pace, but not my “this really sucks” walking pace of 4.2mph. At incline 5, it satisified my normal criteria of me wanting to quit on the first lap but being able to hold on for the whole workout, and according to my watch this was the first time I held a high intensity heart rate for 100 minutes, which means it’s more challenging than what I did last week at 4.2mph and 1 incline, even though, according to the calorie calculator on the treadmill this was an “easier” workout, burning about 150 fewer calories. Data is interesting that way.
* Primary driver of this change in approach is that my left foot’s arch is still tender from last week, and Tang Soo Do seems to trigger it as well. I remember walking fast caused it initially, and I re-triggered it in the last 15 minutes of this walk, but the pain didn’t last like it did for the entire walk last time, so I’d say that’s progress. Since I couldn’t move fast, I decided to up the challenge with the incline, moving upwards, hence “all rucked UP”. I’m clever like that.
* On the topic of Tang Soo Do, last night was an even better workout than Tuesday. Basics week tends to be good for that. Lots of combination techniques and open hand forms. We’ve got it again tonight. We also got in a 3 mile family walk last night, and I was able to get in my daily sandbag and throws. That daily approach is working well, but it doesn’t carry the obsession that my previously “daily work” did. I’m doing this with an end in goal, rather than the work being the goal itself. I may try to continue this moving forward, along with my goal of actually implementing some daily work chins to re-build my back, but, of course, Chaos is the plan.
* Breakfast was the same thing it’s been all week: 1lb of grassfed New Zealand leg of lamb, air fried with spray duck fat and salt, 3 hardboiled pastured eggs, 5 whites mixed with 1 tablespoon of grassfed beef tallow and a piece of liver. I, legit, love this breakfast, and I weighed in at 80.0 kg after my walk. Yes: part of that is sweating out weight, but I’ve effectively dropped 4.6kg in 2 weeks time, which is absolutely bonkers and speaks VERY highly to the effectiveness of this maximum definition diet. I honestly feel like the dude from Thinner, when he’s raiding the fridge and says to his wife “Does it LOOK like I’m dieting?” I am eating SUCH wonderful satiating meals and seeing myself lean out.
* Sleep was weird. I slept very well and felt restored, but at 0325 my brain woke up and decided to solve all the problems in the world. Made it easier to get out of bed, because I knew I wasn’t going to get any more sleep.
* Today will mark day 7 of gum sobriety: my last piece was last week, when I walked on the treadmill. I skipped it today, and still breathed through my nose for the workout.
* My travel is officially locked in from 14-18 Apr. I already secured myself a hotel with a kitchen and full fridge that’s down the road from a Safeway, so I have no concerns about eating. I’m also 50 miles away from an In n Out, so I’m definitely going to make that trip. Plan is to show up, buy some steak, eggs and butter and be set. I’ll also save quite a bit of cash by not needing to go out to eat all the time (because I can make a better steak than I can get at a restaurant for a fraction of the price), and with it being the week after my comp, I can just focus on getting in some walks and conditioning workouts and maybe spend some time finding my maxes for my next program.
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3494
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, much better sleep)
**12 LABORS: STEALING THREE OF THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES**
* I was dragging this morning. Just felt stiff, and I got a little light headed warming up on the log. I’m gonna assume I’m just running things hard while the food intake isn’t matching, but it timed out well for this to be the day that I cut the work sets down in order to be able to get in the cleans and mat pulls. I dig this structure, and I realize it’s similar to the 3/5/1 approach I was wanting to employ on a weekly basis: just contained within the week’s cycle itself. The Texas Method used something similar, from what I recall. This might be a trick I carry forward.
* The 3 cleans of 200 is a recent PR, and upon reflection, I actually think I had a press in me on that first rep as well. It went up so smooth that I still had plenty of energy. That’s a good place to be, especially once I throw on my grip shirt.
* The mat pulls continue to improve. I added a rep while increasing the ROM, and I’m still not pushing to my absolute limit on these sets. Biggest limiter is my internal pressure: I still feel that heartburn like feeling earlier in the set than I’d care to, so I have to release my brace and re-accomplish. It’s been a while since I’ve had to employ this skillset: just gotta rebuild it. On the plus side, my hips are handling the work much better than before.
* Still got in my daily touch on the sandbag and throwing bag yesterday. The pick continues to become more mundane. I’m not moving as fast as I’d like, but maybe it’s time to break out the belt to give that a try.
* Tang Soo Do was a decent workout last night. Our head instructor is back, still recovering from back surgery, but able to observe classes and provide instruction. Nice to have that vector again.
* Took photos of breakfast and I’ll post the recap at the end of day, but it’s kept up with my Gaston/Heracles hybrid (Gastonacles? Heracleston? Someone who is handy with AI please create the hybrid image of the two Disney characters for me) with 1lb of air fried grassfed New Zealand lamb, 3 hard boiled pastured eggs, 4 egg whites mixed with 1 tablespoon of grassfed beef tallow and a strip of beef liver. This time I had the big brained play to take all the leftover fat than ran off the lamb during the cooking process and pour it all over the plate/eggs to add flavor.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3493
AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm: rough night of sleep due to dog)
**12 LABORS: STEALING THREE OF THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES**
* Just continues to be the right call each week. Really felt like I got my money’s worth on the first set of each round: focused on picking my feet up high and striking midfoot vs heel. Still hitting this up in my bearfoot shoes, as I feel like it forces proper technique on me. Was definitely feeling my lungs breaking on this: really finding my ability to push hard.
* Also got in a 3-ish mile walk last night after dinner, and another round on the sandbag carry and throws. The pick up on the sandbag is getting more and more natural, which has been the goal of the frequent training. The more touches I get, the more mundane it becomes. It dawned on me that what I’m doing is very “Easy Strength”, for though I’m exceeding the 10 reps total per day principle, my weekly total reps are about the same by training 3x a week vs 5, and then I’m getting in 1 round of loaded carries each day as well, along with the prioritizing of walking. It’s funny how we can use so many different names for the same principles.
* Will post the breakfast photo during an end of day recap, but it was almost the exact same thing as yesterday: I just added 1 more egg white, and I forgot to throw my daily liver serving onto the plate as well: I’ll need to make sure I get that in before the end of day. Tonight’s menu is piedmontese grassfed New York strips and eggs. I was reflecting on how unique it is that I’m eating egg whites mixed with beef tallow: taking out the fats from the yolks and replacing them with fats from another animal. It’s honestly just the prohibitively high cost of pastured eggs that limits me from using more whole eggs per meal. We already bought 7 dozen to get me through this week: the Valkyrie is also an angel for putting up with my shenanigans.
* My gum sobriety streak continues. This is day 5. I went without it before my sprint, whereas I typically have it for cardio based workouts. I didn’t realize how addicted I was to the stuff until I stopped using it. I find myself really wanting a piece during certain parts of the day. It’s funny, given how people use gum to give up smoking.
* On a similar note, I had no evening protein feed last night. I wasn’t hungry, so decided not to do it. I still did the middle of the night shake, but this Maximum Definition Diet experiment is really getting pretty interesting. My digestion is significantly improved having cut out the very last little bit of extra stuff I was consuming. I also have meant to update that the pork cracklin was slashed out of my diet once I started doing Operator, and that’s been an easy trend to continue. I was too reliant on it. Next gaining phase, I’ll be sure to keep that out.
* Tang Soo Do on the schedule tonight. It’s basics week, which can often be a good workout.
Monday, March 24, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3492
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
**12 LABORS: STEALING THREE OF THE GOLDEN APPLES OF HESPERIDES**
* Felt pretty good coming into this, and that’s something I’ve observed with my time on Tactical Barbell Operator: fatigue management is done so well that I never feel too beat up to train, and my performance IN training tends to be pretty sharp. I have some days that are better than others, but I’m pretty much always in a ready state to perform.
* Tried to focus on hitting the bottom of the front squat quickly and smoothly, as that seems to be carrying over really well into lapping the stone. On the log, I made it a point to get from start to end quickly. Basically doing my best to disrespect the log. If I build it up in my mind and treat it like a big deal, it will be, whereas if I treat it like an everyday thing, it’ll be that too. On the second set of log I got a little off balanced, but otherwise no issues. The push press is hit and miss, but I’m glad I’m getting in the reps. Chins feel solid: I like the low reps.
* The most challenging part of the conditioning circuit continues to be holding that SSB after the swings and regaining my composure/breathing, which I think is going to have excellent carryover to my carry medley. I’m also really trying to “throw” that kettlebell. All this said, there’s a slight chance I miss this competition due to a work obligation, which I’m waiting to hear about, but, in truth, upon discovering that, my world didn’t collapse like it normally does. I’m honestly pleased with how prepping for this competition gave me a good vector for my training and got me to discover just how well this program works out. But, of course, I still want to compete.
* Couldn’t help but play with my new toy for a few minutes. Doing my best not to get stupid with the rower this close to gameday: that can come later, but I wanted to at least get a feel for it. If nothing else, I can start developing technique so that, when it’s time to use it, I know what I’m doing.
* I weighed in at 81.7kg, which is a 2.9kg drop from last week. Given last week was my weigh in post travel/cruise, this isn’t unexpected at all: I needed to “dry out” and stabilize. I DO feel like this speaks well of how beneficial the Maximum Definition diet is when it comes to drying out in this matter, similar to the Atkin’s induction phase or the Dukan Diet phase 1 or any other phasic diet approach. There’s also the element of me being 3 days “gum sober”, so I’m dealing with less bloating and a significantly reduced artificial sweetener intake. Either way, it bodes well, I am once again below my weight class and in a good place.
* …which leads us into breakfast, which is also a fantastic combination of Gaston and Hercules/Heracles (I prefer the greek spelling, but no one else does). 1lb (ish) of grassfed New Zealand leg of lamb that I cut into steaks, sprayed with duck fat and some salt and air fried at 425 for 8 minutes, alongside 3 pastured hard boiled eggs and 4 egg whites mixed with grassfed beef tallow. Yup: lamb for the greek, eggs for Gaston: try to find a more anabolic pairing right there. The original intent was 8oz of lamb, but I realized that tonight will be my family meal, which is traditionally lower in protein due to the higher carb content, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to get in whatever I’m missing. I’m going to play the rest of the week by ear, as I’ve got the lamb cut into 8oz (ish, I’m no butcher) portions and I’ve been able to stock up on egg whites to be able to manipulate my protein content as needed. Given I’m below my weight class now, I’m not too concerned about overeating, but I also know not to “overcorrect” in that regard. Once the competition is over and I don’t need to worry about making a weight class, I’m definitely just going to play it all by ear and go full Gironda on it.
* Family meal tonight is going to be some farmer’s casserole and some wonderful oatmeal/peanut butter/butterscotch/chocolate chunk cookies with honey and skim milk, and then a nice evening walk. The plan keeps on working. This is also, technically, NOT fully in line w/Maximum Definition, as Gironda wants a pure carb meal with no protein for the sake of filling up the muscles, but, as always: being a family man comes first. We can make it all work.
* 5 per round was good, 6 per round was my top on round 2, 4 per round was the minimum. No missed reps, which was the biggest victory: I'm VERY pleased with that. Perfect practice makes perfect.
* Was feeling real stiff before the first rep on the first round. Sparring week tends to get me pretty beat up. Otherwise, supple enough. The front squats have really done a solid job of getting me mobile for lapping the stone.
* For sparring week this week, I went up against the Valkyrie in the first round, and we went the distance into overtime and I managed to score a winning sidekick to her torso. As much as I hate to take away reps from her, she smiled at the kick, because it was just perfectly executed. From there, I went up against the kiddo, and pointed out some holes in their guard with a straight punch right down the middle. They adjusted and actually forced me to use some kicks in order to score enough points to draw the match out further. Really proud of them for that. They scored a final 3rd point on me and went on to the semi-finals. When the tournament was officially over, I sparred the dude with the TKD and boxing background, and he promptly threw a spinning back kick right into my genitals, granted me a victory by foul...which is the very definition of a Pyrrhic victory.
* Also got in a 3 mile walk with the dog earlier, and my 50 squats and push ups upon waking. May get in a little more walking today as well, but otherwise, Texas Roadhouse for dinner tonight as I take my kid out to see some armored combat "Fight Knight". I'll post a photo recap of the meals later.
* I MAY also be coming into possession of a Concept 2 rower tomorrow, if a facebook sale goes well. I'm excited about that.
Friday, March 21, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3490
AM WORKOUT (0350 natural wake up, snooze until 0400)
* This was one of those workouts were I came into it feeling like Hell and ended up performing really well. I’m accumulating a fair amount of fatigue through the week and I’m not eating in a manner that has me in an energy surplus, so I imagine that’s ultimately what’s responsible there. I actually think this was my best workout of the week, feeling very capable in the front squat and powerful on the log clean.
* I dorked up something in my left shoulder sparring last night, almost feels like what I did to the right one before my bridge week. Hopefully just a niggle that goes away over the weekend. Didn’t impact training today, but it sucked raising my arm to get it in place for the weighted chins.
* On the topic of sparring: much better night last night. Was the Dojang champion for the night after 3 matches. First round was against our resident bully, who, despite this being “no contact” sparring, relies on punching and kicking through guards to score points, and given this guy is taller than me and outweighs me by about 40lbs and employs this tactic on 80lb children in our class, it was good to school him a little. I ended up scoring a lot of body kicks on him, and typically those don’t work, and I realized why: he normally has his belt MUCH higher during sparring week, since we’re not allowed to kick below the belt, and on this day he forgot to do that and suddenly was exposed. Take the W how you get it. Second match was against a kicking technician that I noticed tends to get flat footed when they throw combos, and that they only circle to one side, so I threw a lot of left leg kicks to draw them in one direction and then catch them with a right leg roundhouse. That and some body punches secured the round. Final match was against our “wild child”, who tends to just charge in with a flurry of crap to draw guards/shelling up and them sink in a legit punch. This person had used these same BS tactics to beat my kid in a previous round, so I was wanting to get some redemption. I crouched on the first round and sunk a straight punch down the middle while they were attempting to flurry. On the second round, they actually raced out before our judge gave us the go, trying his charging/intimidation tactic, and I speared him square in the chest with a front push kick/teep that put a huge look of disbelief on him. Final point was like the first one: straight punch up the middle. We also got in some free sparring, where I got to play around a bit. It was ultimately a good active class/day.
* Along with all that activity, I got in another walk in the evening, along with another round of sandbag carries and sandbag throws. The bag is feeling more and more natural with the frequent touches: Easy Strength principles continue to work. I ended up with about 24k steps on my watch, and given I can’t wear it at work or at TSD, that’s a solid step count.
* Took a photo of breakfast, but it didn’t upload: will have to do it later. But this morning was a 10oz piedmontese grassfed New York strip that I sprayed with some duck fat, alongside 4 scrambled whole eggs and 2 whites with 1 tablespoon of beef tallow and some beef liver. I air fried the steak, and that actually turned out pretty awesome and was convenient because it cooked post workout while I was taking a shower and was ready when I came down. I also was initially against the idea of using the duck fat spray, thinking I should use ghee on the steak instead, but realized that fat from AN animal is still animal fat, and fits within the parameters of “meat (any kind)”, so I went with it. But a funny story on the food choice: I was originally just going to do some canned salmon and sardines to make things easy, until I realized it was Lent and it was Friday. I went to a Catholic high school and a Catholic University…as a non-Catholic. I’ve had enough “no meat Fridays” put upon me in my life that I’m not going to voluntarily sign up for it! So I cooked a steak out of spite, which made it even tastier. …that said, we’re gonna hit up our hibachi buffet for dinner tonight, which is going to be seafood and eggs for me, but at least I got meat on one meal.
* On the Maximum Definition diet experiment front: zero hunger issues eating 2 meals with breakfast and dinner. I’m liking the big breakfast post training. I also didn’t have any gum this morning, and I didn’t have any yesterday aside from the piece while I was walking. I’m focusing on drinking more water when I feel a desire for gum. It’s funny how naturally inclined I am to face “challenges”. Being told “ONLY meat and eggs” gives me something to strive for.
Thursday, March 20, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3489
AM WORKOUT (0235 wake up via dog, tossed and turned until 0355 alarm, not very restful sleep)
* No, that’s NOT the actual name of the workout in TB2, but I’m definitely going to keep calling it that, because that’s how it feels. I wanted to quit on lap 1, as 4.2mph is NOT a comfortable walking stride for me in general, let alone with a 45lb vest on, but by about a mile I had found my stride. Biggest thing was the muscles in my feet weren’t comfortable, and seemed like the small muscles in them needed to “wake up” to the walk. Felt like cramping, and post walk my left foot feels a little sore. This is “getting into running shape” for me: getting all those little small muscles involved in the process to come back to me, because my cardiovascular system can handle it just fine.
* On the note of cardiovascular, my garmin said my heart rate got up to 150 on this, so that’s pretty cool. I also chewed gum the entire time as a way to force me to keep my mouth closed and breath through my nose. Which is something I’m also addressing here: part of me taking on Vince Gironda’s Maximum Definition Diet is going to be overcoming my gum addiction. I’m like a smoker: evaluating my usage via the pack, with me at about half a pack a day, and it’s just one more thing for me to overcome. I imagine nothing but benefits from this, as it will be ingesting fewer artificial sweeteners, not disrupting my digestion, not screwing up my hunger/satiety signals, etc. So I’m liming myself to one stick a day, as I tend to have a piece immediately before training or during training like this in order to keep my mouth from going dry. I've also cut the cinnamon out of my tea: slashing carbs everywhere.
* Further discussion on the Maximum Definition diet, I took pictures of my last 2 meals but forgot to upload them: will do it later. But we lost power yesterday during the blizzard and I was able to improvise by thawing out 6 scrambled eggs from my freezer and pairing it with 2 venison patties I had leftover from Sunday, along with some ghee that I melted into the mix using a lighter, because I’m a Boy Scout like that. And this morning I had a combination of 4 leftover scrambled eggs mixed with 2 egg whites and 1 tablespoon of beef tallow along with another 8oz (estimated: half a 16oz package) of piedmontese grassfed steak kabobs and a piece of beef liver. Sticking with the plan of 2 meals a day, with a middle of the night protein shake, and right now I’m going to continue the pre-bed protein feeding as well, but that will most likely be the next part to fall off. I’ll keep an eye on protein intake in general over the course of 2 meals in a day, but I don’t think I’ll run into issues, given my capacity to eat larger meals in single sittings. I’ll be keeping an eye on hunger, but so far it’s been no issues. I’m not going to be a martyr with this: if I’m hungry, I’m going to eat.
* I’ve been sleeping on beef tallow. Holy cow that stuff is awesome.
* I weighed in at 82.2kg post workout. That’s closer to “real weight”, but that’s after sweating during the walk as well. Still trying to find stability post cruise.
* Tang Soo Do sparring night tonight. I’ll try to be less stupid this time.
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3488
AM WORKOUT (0530 wake up via storm, snoozed until 0540 Valkyrie's alarm)
Log clean and strict press away 3x5x150+1 push press rep per set
Log clean 2x200
(6) Texas deadlift bar mat pull 13+5+5x405
ASSISTANCE
Core circuit (no rest between sets)
Reverse hyper 3x10x180
HLR 3x10
Axle curls 1x50
Band pushdowns 1x35
BPA 2x50
Notes:
* I woke up really stiff and sore. I imagine the combination of coming back from my bridge week, the daily sandbag carries, and sparring last night manifested itself, and the restless night of sleep during the the thunderstorms leading up to the blizzard (yes, living in Nebraska is absolutely wild) all manifested there. Knowing that today was going to be a heavy day with the log cleans and the mat pulls, I exercised my privilege to employ 3 sets vs 5 on the main work, and it was the absolute right call. The sets I did were strong, and I had enough juice in me for the rest of the work I had in store.
* Today is the most deviant day for the program, but I'm still meeting intent. The log cleans are "extra" work and the mat pulls are going above rep prescription, but it's 1-3 sets of a deadlift variant done once a week. And, ultimately, I'm willing to own the consequences of my decisions.
* As previously mentioned, moved back to mat pulls because my car deadlift event is going to be a front pull vs side handle, so the trap bar no longer serves the purpose needed. That said, I felt plenty strong on the mat pull, so I didn't lose anything with my combination of trap bar and KB swings.
* On the mat pulls themself, I didn't go totally to my limit. First time back in a while, told myself "don't do anything stupid", and somehow listened to myself. I DID notice some real bad acid reflux like symptoms on the first set of pulls, so I need to re-adjust to vasalva under those conditions.
* Log cleans felt awesome. I shut it down at 2 to end on a victory, but I'm definitely feeling strong and capable there.
* Got in a 3 mile walk, a sandbag rep, 5 throws and some decent sparring yesterday. Today, with the blizzard, none of that will be happening, although I MAY still try to pick up my sandbag, just to get in a daily rep of that. On the sparring front, most of my work came in the warm-ups: I washed out in the first round. Got too impatient and tried to put my dude away too quickly. He capitalized on my openings. I have to give some of these kids some credit: they're good at playing the game.
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3487
AM WORKOUT (0435 wake up via dog, snoozed until 0510 Valkyrie alarm)
* 200m sprint – 30 second rest – 200m sprint – 30 second rest – 200m sprint
* 3 min rest
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dogs
Notes:
* Really felt “on” today. The final round had me dragging a little, but aside from that, solid explosiveness, broke my lungs, and got my heart rate up to the 120s. Focused on midfoot striking, high stepping and getting my arms moving. This is definitely my preferred HIC workout, I’m glad I’ve settled into a pattern of this. Also fits well to be the morning after my evening family meal. Spaghetti with grassfed piedmontese beef sauce, some garlic bread, and 4 of the Valkyrie’s cookies with some local honey and fairlife skim. I realized it was my first meal with carbs in 2 weeks, and that my physique was also looking pretty flat leading up to that, so something there. During my 2 week travels through Italy and Greece this summer, I may have to break patter and eat some local carbs, which, given the location, won’t be the worst thing.
* I also got in a 3 mile walk with the family last night, and then got in a round with the sandbag and 5 throws with the throwing bag. Doing my best to make those daily habits leading up to the competition. I’m feeling explosive on the throwing bag.
* Tang Soo Do sparring night tonight. Tomorrow, we’re supposed to have a blizzard, so that most likely scraps more TSD plans.
* First workout back from the cruise/bridge week. It had the absolute intended effect: I felt rejuvenated, healed and springy today. My belt was also tighter and I discovered I’m up about 2.4 kg from my last weigh in 2 weeks ago, so that about fits (putting me at 84.6kg). That honestly puts me in a good way for my competition, as I’ve got more runway to drop some weight comfortably. I know I was excited about eating UP to the competition, but given the nature/style of this training, this nutritional approach will suit me better. That said, I also know this isn’t “true” weight, and I’ll need to take a little bit of time to re-settle, letting my digestion even out, sweating out the massive salt intake from all the restaurant foods, and just getting my body back to a rhythm. Which, speaking of, tonight is still the family meal, which is going to be spaghetti with piedmontese 93% lean ground beef and some cookies with some raw honey. The plan works; stick with the plan.
* These were some of the best log cleans I’ve had in a long time, and my shoulder totally healed over the break so no issues with the pressing. Push press reps were also very powerful.
* Squat depth sunk nicely. No resistance. Lower back feels strong too.
* KB swings have me really focusing on “throwing” the bell. Trying to make the most of it.
* On a similar note, I did 1 round of sandbag work yesterday, because it’s all I had time for, and I’m thinking I might just try to make that a daily habit alongside some throws. I really need to make it that picking up the sandbag just feels “natural”, and I feel like frequency will beat out intensity there.
* Have a family walk planned for later this evening. Good to get in more steps.
* My right shoulder is really pissed off at me. I hate to say it, but I'm pretty sure I messed it up sleeping. Past few weeks haven't been great because of the dog, and there's a fair chance I just passed out in a poor position. I could still perform today, but basic life mobility is restricted, and I'm playing it a little safe in the training itself, which is why I didn't go for the final push press rep.
* Today, the log cleans were really top notch. I focused on pointing the handles really far away from me at the initial part of the clean. Tried to make the pressing go up even, but the right is really lagging behind the left.
* Front squats were buttery smooth. It's funny how the victory these days is when the eccentric is faster than the concentric.
* Really drilled explosiveness on the swing in that circuit. I haven't been good about training throws, but ideally this will carry over.
* I travel out today, so diet and training is going to be weird for a while. Going to enjoy the food and try to be active. I actually got 24k steps yesterday, so that was cool. I MIGHT try to get in one more strongman thing today, but I have a feeling my schedule won't permit it.
Thursday, March 6, 2025
Training Log: Entry 3484
AM WORKOUT (0353 natural wake up, snooze until 0400)
* Since this is the easy week of conditioning, I did a ruckless ruck, and took the speed from 4.1 to 3.8, which is a comfortable pace for me. Good general activity, and it felt pretty restorative.
* I dorked up something in my right shoulder yesterday, and I’m not sure on what. It’s minorly annoying pain that slightly limits my ROM. I’ll keep an eye on it. With 1 more workout until my bridge week, I’m not against just skipping the press tomorrow if that’s what it boils down to, or doing the minimum required sets.
* Did Tang Soo Do last night, but will be skipping tonight. It’s 1-step self defense, so a pretty light night as it is. I’ll be attempting at least 1 more workout tomorrow before traveling for my trip, but may try to get in even more to include stones and sandbags, just to get a final touch on the implements before a break.
* Was feeling light and saw 82.1kg on the scale, so thinks continue to trend well. Dog is also sleeping better through the night, but soon enough we’ll be away from the coughing and really be able to sleep.
Log clean and strict press away 4x3x180+1 push press rep per set
Log clean 0x220 (kept slipping)
Low handle trap bar lift 3x3x460
ASSISTANCE
Core circuit (no rest between exercises)
Reverse hypers 3x20x180
Standing ab wheel 3x10
Axle curls 55
Band pushdowns 35
BPAs 4x25
Notes:
* Had delayed reporting to work due to the blizzard, so slept in. I was feeling pretty awesome, but the log was having it's way with me today, and I couldn't get set up well for the heavy clean. I'm going to reduce the weight on that for the future and get in a few more reps.
* The trap bar was especially disastrous, most notably on the second set. The weight went forward on me, and then I overcorrected, so the first rep was just all over the place.
* I ate pretty light yesterday, and stress was high prepping for the blizzard. Feeling a little burnt out. Got TSD tonight, but it should be pretty low energy.
200m sprint, 30 second rest, 200m sprint, 30 second rest, 200m sprint
3 min rest between rounds
Notes:
* Following the prescription of easy conditioning on the hardest lifting week, I ran the basic version of OD101. Still a great lung breaker, but it also felt right to reel it in, as I didn’t seem to have the output I was looking for. Can still attribute that to some poor sleep. Dog is getting better, but I’m working off a big debt.
* Really tried to focus on accelerating hard on the back portion of the sprint.
* Got in a 2.5 mile walk with the Valkyrie and the pup last night. It’s like resistance training, because the pup was pulling hard the whole time; freaking out over the wind, leaves and people. She’s getting strong. Was a good way to digest the carb heavy meal last night, which was absolutely fantastic.
* We’re supposed to do Tang Soo Do tonight, but we have a blizzard coming our way, which will most likely put that on hold. It’s partially why I went with sprints instead of indoor stuff today: this will be my last good outdoor day for a bit. May try to spar with the Valkyrie a bit to make up for lost reps.
* This workout went much better than I anticipated, once again demonstrating that, when I feel awful, I perform well, and when I feel well, I perform…not awful, but just not as good as I perform well. Here’s my alchemy theory: when sleep is low, fight or flight response is elevated, resulting in improved performance in short burst high strength work and lower quality of life in general.
* Sleep WAS much better last night. We got the dog bag on a medication that seems to be doing the trick. I think this is just going to be a “for forever” thing for her, which given she turns 15 in May, I’m more than fine with, as long as she can rest comfortably (and, by extension, the rest of the family as well).
* The front squats were the highlight of the workout: they felt the best. The log wasn’t quite as snappy as it’s been. Some of the reps drifted out in front, but I’m strong enough that I can correct now. I was experiencing a little nerve pain in my back/hips yesterday too, which I attributed to general fatigue. I was also experiencing elevated thirst: consumed a lot of water with electrolytes yesterday.
* I slept in an extra 5 minutes, because I knew the lifting workout was going to be shorter due to the reduced sets and reps, and it also permitted me the opportunity to do 1 more round of the assistance/conditioning workout. I was definitely dragging on the final round, but it was good for me. On the swings, around set 3 I really turned a corner. I’m trying my hardest to visualize throwing the KB on each swing, to get a similar effect for the bag throw.
* I called my shot on the scale this morning: predicted 82.4kg and that’s what I saw. That’s a .4kg gain from last week, but given that I dropped 1.8kb between that week and the week before it, this is a much better trajectory for weight stabilization/loss. However, I also am going to take a moment to pat myself on the back that I have such awareness of my body that, without counting, weighing, measuring or tracking, I can know my weight to the decimal. Similar to how I can have days where I “feel” lighter, and know that the scale will reflect as such.
* Will be getting in a walk this evening while my kid is in music theater practice, and tonight is our family meal. Tuna casserole, biscuits, snickerdoodle bars, skim milk and honey await me.
* After another night of the dog hacking away, I was running on fumes today. This was the last thing I wanted to do, so I told myself I'd get in one touch and call it good. It was very Dan John: didn't bother changing clothes, just took out the bag and got in a carry. With no warm up, I felt pretty solid. Lower back held out well and I had the strength to carry the bag for double distance on the bearhug. I'll take it. Glad I got in a rep.
* Also got in 18k steps today from walking the dog a bunch. And my push ups and squats.
* I'm technically in the easy week for conditioning since it's the hard week for lifting. But I like to start my weeks on Monday, like the Mexican Calendar. And I leave for San Diego/my cruise on Friday, so things will get a little compressed.
* 210+lb stone * Singles for the first 9 rounds, triple on the final * 48+" bar height
30lb sandbag throw for height 6 reps
Notes:
* Real awful night of sleep. Dog seems to have relapsed and spent most of the night hacking away. I eventually took her downstairs so the Valkyrie could sleep at around 0200, and dozed off and on until 0700. Didn't seem to impact my performance, but something to be aware of.
* This is the heaviest I've ever loaded the SOS, and I didn't have it quite centered, so the stone had a bit of a roll to it. Helps simulate a real atlas stone, as those things are never balanced. On a few of the picks, it took me for a ride.
* For overall performance, I'm incredibly pleased. Zero missed reps, and that triple at the end felt strong enough. The stone WAS taking a bit out of me, so I'll need to make sure I've got some solid electrolytes in me come competition time. I also had to transition from getting the stone onto the bar to pushing it over the bar from there. In comp time, I want to eliminate that, but when playing with home equipment you try not to get too overzealous.
* I remain pleased with my technique. It's resulting in less pain from training, which creates a positive feedback loop where I can train more.
* No issues with conditioning for this.
* Got in the throws like I said I was going to do. I AM feeling more explosive than usual. I think my strategy of setting it up like a swing will pay off.
* Also managed to get in my push ups, squats and a 3+ mile walk with the dog earlier today.
* Got good sleep last night and woke up feeling ready to go, but as soon as I started warming up I was feeling wiped out. I think 3 nights in a row of TSD on top of yesterday’s ruck along with some low calories were starting to show. I actually got light headed on the first set of front squats, forcing me to breathe out and rebrace on the second rep, and the first set of log didn’t feel great. Thankfully, I didn’t black out on the log like I usually do when my head isn’t on right, and by the second set things were clicking again. Found some great depth and mobility and a few poppy cleans on the log, but press strength was still lacking. I’ll definitely be looking to eat up as I enter the final 3 weeks of comp prep.
* Chins continue to feel strong, and my elbows/forearms are holding out well.
* That conditioning assistance circuit at the end continues to prove valuable. Pairing the swings and SSB hold together was an unintended stroke of genius, as it really gets challenging at the end trying to hold that brace when I’m sucking wind from the cleans. Trying to focus on keeping the cleans explosive, and also not slacking too much during the dips and push ups.
* Tang Soo Do was another solid workout last night. Got in some new partner drills alongside some of the usual activity.
* Physique continues to show polish on the daily. Was very pumped after that conditioning circuit alongside the lateral raises.
