Training Log: Entry 3431

AM WORKOUT (0430 wake up via alarm)

**12 LABORS: SLAYING THE NEMEAN LION**

*Tactical Barbell Operator* Cycle 1, Week 1, Workout 2

“BUFFALO LAPS”

4 rounds of

* 10 burpees

* 400m (ish) run

* 10 KB swings w/24kg bell

* 45 seconds rest

Total time: 17:07

400m cooldown walk

BREAKFAST

No walk w/dogs (weather/schedule)

Notes:

* The headings on these posts are getting ridiculous, but I’m too bought in at this point.  In keeping with the 12 labors, each week will be labeled sequentially as the labors of Heracles, the first being the Slaying of the Nemean lion.  I don’t necessarily have sins to atone for here, unless we’re going Judeo-Christian and counting gluttony these past 14 weeks, along with pride, but if nothing else, it’s a good story and lead into a montage.  Which, actually, the Super Mario Brother Super Show had a great episode on this

* It should surprise absolutely no one how influential that episode was for me as a kid, along with the “Karate Koopa” one.  

* This was a good wake-up call.  After the second round, I was getting that copper taste in my mouth, which I’ve had explained to me is the taste of blood.  Something about metabolic waste products and blood vessels.  It’s all alchemy to my simple barbarian mind.  But I was breathing hard but also remembering how to recover between rounds.  

* Running definitely wasn’t setting any landspeed records.  I actually ran in my bearfeet shoes, which may be a good idea, or it might be terrible, but with the short distance and need to perform burpees and swings, it was my preference.  My distance wasn’t exactly 400m: I was running around the block my house is on, but I’ve measured it out that 4 laps of that is .97 miles based on my GPS, so it’s close enough for my purposes.  The big takeaway for the conditioning work is to meet the spirit of the exercises from TB II, rather than the exact letter, especially once the strongman stuff comes in.

* It was 17 degrees outside according to my phone.  Toward the end, the swings were a little challenging as my hands were numb.  Tried to focus on exploding up AND back down, per Dan John.  Tried to keep the burpee form sharp as well.  I liked this workout structure in general to hit just about everything: some running, some getting off the floor, some triple extension.  All areas I’m weak in.   

* We have Tang Soo Do tonight.  We might do a double class: we have to make up for some lost time.

* I had my carby meal yesterday.  Some tater tots with my dinner, and then a dessert of 3 of my wife's cookies with some honey alongside a slide of a "peppermint bark" cheesecake she made.  Heckuva way to start a leaning out phase, but it's been about 10 days since I've had any sort of carb, and I know I do better with the cyclical approach.