Training Log: Entry 3658

AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)

TACTICAL BARBELL GREY MAN Cycle 2, Week 1, Workout 3

MAIN CLUSTER

Axle bench press
5x8x221

(3) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat pull
5+2x470

SUPPLEMENTAL CLUSTER

Lever belt squat
5x12x190

Dips/axle curl superset
3x12x60, 1x10+2x60
2x12x71, 1x10+2x71, 1x8+4x71

ASSISTANCE

Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel superset
2x15x360/2x10

Chins between sets

Notes:

• Training motivation was high. I genuinely look forward to the day I get to deadlift. That said, it was made clear to me today that I am exiting the realm of training and entering the realm of testing with the weight I am using on the mat pulls. I am proud of myself that I still somehow managed to break the weight off the mats and get reps in, but I keep trading more and more of my soul each week to make it happen, and I am surviving the sets rather than thriving. I have nothing to prove and nowhere to be, so I’m gonig to drop the weight back to 405 to finish out this cycle and try to beat my previous rep PR at that weight, then bring it up to 425 and just repeat and regrow.

• Bench weight was perfectly dialed in.

• If I wasn’t in a rush for time, I’m certain I wouldn’t struggle on the curls as much as I do. Using a lighter weight on deadlifts might also help there.

• Very happy I’ve figured out the belt squats. They went from destructive to therapeutic. I’m going to try barbell squats in my flats next workout. As much as I’d had to admit that I had it right all along back in 2007 and never needed a pair of weightlifters and just needed some Chucks (thanks Pavel), it may truthfully be the next step in mitigating knee pain. Be curious if I can squat deeper that way as well. I was never built for the movement, so maybe I need to break all the rules to make it work.

• Weighed in at 84.8 this morning. I’m feeling fluffier. That’s the goal.

• I hung from a bar for a little over 1min 45sec yesterday, without much difficulty. Going to try to ease myself back into grip training for a bit, but I think I’ve got a good shot there. I also re-read the rules and the hammer hold is a front hold rather than a side hold, and I thankfully have an oversized loadable hammer I won as a prize in a competition back in 2015 (my return to comp after ACL surgery), so that’s cool.

• Tang Soo Do sparring was really awesome last night. I got 3 matches, the final one against the Valkyrie. We went 1 to 1 on points, going into overtime. Typically, I leave some openings for her to chase/strike as a learning opportunity, but last night she scored a legit awesome final point with a spin side kick that had her foot turn in just such a way that she snuck it in between my guard, right into a floating rib. It was like a spearman finding the slats between the plates of armor. I said “oh, that was good”, fully acknowledging the point before the judges scored it, because I was just such a fan of how she sent that. We have another class tonight, and then doubling up tomorrow.