Thursday, April 8, 2021

 Training Log: Entry 2389


BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 1, Workout 4


AM WORKOUT (0310 wake up via alarm)


Juarez Valley front squats 255 w/5 six count burpees between sets

8

1

7

2

6

3

5 (bar slipped on rep 4, had to re-rack briefly to get rep 5)

4


Time: 16:35


Transition immediately to 10 rounds of


5 chins

2 standing ab wheel

5 dips (25 pushdowns after final set)

4 reverse hypers


50 pull aparts


Belt squat stripset (no rest/no lockout)

30x150

5x125

5x100

5x75

5x50

7x25

7xAxle


30 GHRs

10 neck bridges each way


Notes: I’m calling this the bike work that Jim suggests, simply because I sold my airdyne. 255 is a weight reaching the “just because you can doesn’t mean you should” sorta level. I think next time I’m gonna keep the weight at 225 and try to absolutely blitz the workout. I wanna keep the reps on the lower side still so that I’m not pushing recovery hard right before my final lifting workout of the week. Goal is to use this workout to recover before the next one: not tax myself. Still, got it done, and then used my daily work to keep heart rate up.


I’ve got most my extra assistance work slotted. Would still like to get some heavy reverse hypers in at some point. Maybe on my prowler day.

 Training Log: Entry 2388


WEDNESDAY


BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 1, Workout 3


AM WORKOUT (0310 wake up via alarm)


Once again, will write out the work, then detail it in the notes


DB rows 90

1x20

1x18

1x16

1x14

1x15


Texas Deadlift bar Touch and Go deadlifts

5x135

5x225

5x365

5x420

3x5x470


Axle bench press

5xAxle

5x136

5x206

5x231

5x5x261


Poundstone curls

101xAxle+5lbs


Total time: 1hr 5min


POST WORKOUT SHAKE


30 GHRs

10 neck bridges each way


Notes: Here’s how this shook out: start the workout with the following giant set with only plate change rest


Row-dead-bench


Once I finished the 4th set of rows, I was at the work sets for deads and bench and didn’t want to come into them with any fatigue from rows, so I moved the final set of rows to the end and switched to a superset of


Dead-bench


With about 2 min rest between giant sets, but no rest between the two movements. Hit the dead, go straight to the bench. Once the third superset was done, I was definitely feeling the fatigue, so I kept it to sets of bench with about 2 min rest between sets to finish the last 2 sets.


After that, I originally planned to do a set of Kroc rows for the final set of rows, but figured that’d put me in a poor place for Poundstone curls. It also let me wonder if I should have a rule of only ONE named exercise per workout to keep me honest (Kelso shrugs, Yates rows, kroc rows, meadows rows, Poundstone curls, Z-press, etc etc). Might be an interesting policy.


But anyway, hit the final set of rows, cleaned up the weight room for a rest period, then hit the Poundstone curls. Final time was 1hr and 5min.


NOW, I was dragging during this workout, and for good reason: I worked an 8 hour shift from 1400-2200, got home, got in bed around 2240, saw my alarm clock tell me I was getting 4hr and 29min of sleep at that point, got up when it went off, pounded 2 eggs/1egg white, a 4oz elk burger, half an avocado and a keto waffle with sunbutter and got after it. It was one of those workouts that you just hold on and try to survive. The deads were the most daunting, and I treated it like a distance run: telling myself little lies along the way to keep me going.


Gotta get in the daily work, and then got my first Tang Soo Do class later tonight. Perhaps some sort of Tabata something along the way, and then Juarez valley tomorrow morning at way too early to start it all over again.


“I wake up/on the floor/start it up again/like it matters any more/I don’t know/if it does/is this really all/that there ever was?”


PM WORKOUT (1400)


Fran+ (95lb thrusters, strict chins)

21

15

9


Time: 4:18 (PR or close to it)


Lateral raises (no rest)

20x10lbs

20x5

20x2.5

20xUnloaded


Tang Soo Do class at 1915


Notes: I’m shocked at that time with Fran, because I was sucking wind and misgrooving reps, but apparently I brute forced my way into a fast time. I’m really digging the shape I’m in these days.


For Tang Soo Do, they were really cool with the wife and I, and actually made the class a focus on basics for us. Went over low block, middle punch, high block, front kick, clinch and knee and side kick, along with front stance and “fighting stance”, which I’ve known as back stance.


My background shone through and I got asked “do you have any previous martial arts experience?” I just said “yes” and left it at that. I’m trying really hard to get the white belt experience here: I don’t want to be treated special.


I’m moving WAY too stiff. I’ve had this issue for a bit. In lifting, you want to keep your whole body as stiff and tight as possible to transfer as much power as possible and have no leaks, but in martial arts you wanna save that tightness until the very end and otherwise move fluid. My muscles were tense as hell during the whole thing, like I was posing. Something I gotta watch for.


We learned our first form all the way through, so I got that to work on.


Beginning of class warm-up was a nice circuit of some push ups and ab work. Not much stretching, which was nice.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

 Training Log: Entry 2387

BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 1, Workout 2


AM WORKOUT (0530 natural wake up) FASTED


Tabata 45lb KB workout (1 armed snatches for the 20 seconds on, 1 arm swings for 10 seconds off, alternate arms each rep)


BREAKFAST


80lb weighted vest walk outdoors


2 miles in 43:08

2.1 miles in 45:29


Notes: Got the tabata work in because I really dig doing SOMETHING before breakfast.  I feel like it improves nutrient uptake.  Got in the walk.  Mrs let me have on old GPS watch so I can actually track distance and time, so that's cool.  2 miles was the goal, but they legit closed the sidewalk down for road construction on my way back so I had to take an alternate route.  Leisurely pace: just getting in the reps.  Still owe daily work and wanna get in some sort of quick conditioning workout before work.  


Much like BBB Beefcake, I will do the absolute minimums of this program for sure, but also allow myself additional work once that's done.  The workout is the main course, everything else dessert, and you don't get dessert if you don't clean your plate.


On that note, figuring out where to slot things in.  Since BtM has a 20 repper in it, I'm going to cut that out of my Juarez Valley workout and instead slot the belt squats in there.  Lateral raises need to find a home: I'm thinking day 1, just because it's a little lighter on shoulder work.  I'd like to put it on day 2, but I'm going to do Poundstone curls for my curl work there, and after that my arms tend to be dead.


With me doing daily neck bridging, I may cut out the neck harness work.  I'm doing far less rows than I was doing before, but I'm not too torn up about that.  I think working on cleaning reps from the floor will answer the mail there.


PM WORKOUT (1300)


Tabata 20lb DB thrusters for 10 rounds


Notes: Wanted to try something different to get some blood into my legs. The DBs are light enough that I can make it through all the rounds. I was breathing pretty hard when it was all done. This works well enough.

Monday, April 5, 2021

 Training Log: Entry 2386


BULIDING THE MONOLITH Week 1, Workout 1


AM WORKOUT (0500 natural wake up, 0700 workout)

I'm just gonna list stuff out now and explain it in the notes


Chins (various grips)
10x10

Buffalo bar squats
5xBar
5x140
5x230
5x310
5x355
5x5x400

Axle strict press
5xAxle
5x136
5x156
5x176

Band pull aparts
2x33
1x34

Dips
3x25
3x20
1x25
2x16
1x8 (25 band pushdowns at end)

Standing ab wheel
2x10

Reverse hyper
2x20

Axle strict press 136 (w/12 second rest pause)
10+4+3

Times:
* 58 min and some seconds to complete bare minimum (all required main work, 100 chins, 100 pull aparts and at least 100 dips)

* 1 hour 1 min to complete the rest pauses in the strict press

* 1 hour 13 min to complete all work


Notes: Alright, here is how it shook down.  I started my timer before my very first set of chins, which I do as I walk into the garage after dropping my kid off at school.  Once I hit that, I changed out of my sweats, put on my sleeves and shoes (I wear my rehband warm up pants under my sweats because I'm an OG like that) and then hit another set of chins, kicking off giant sets of 


Chins-squat-press.


I took plate change rests from there, rolling straight from chin to squat to press over and over again.  With the way my rack is set up, I can literally drop to my feet from the chin, walk straight under the bar, squat it, rack it, back out of the rack and start pressing, so it's super fast.


I finished the top set of presses before the 355 set of squats.  Once I finished presses, the giant set became


Chin-squat-dip


I finished chins around the second set of the 5x5 sets of 400, at which point the giant set became


Squat-dip-pull apart


Once the squats were done, I did the final set of presses.  In 5/3/1 Forever, Jim gives the ok to use rest pausing for upper body widowmakers, so I figured game on and did that, but I took times on if I didn't do that to demonstrate that this program can STILL be done in under an hour.  I was honestly being pretty leisurely with me time here, as I'm in MUCH better shape than the first time I ran it and didn't need to push as hard to move as quick.  I was taking about 2 minutes of rest between topset squats and it worked out perfect.  The weight WAS heavy, but manageable, and I'll be in a good place if I allow myself even more rest.


I got about 135 total dips in the under an hour mark.  Wanted to get the full 200 and finish up daily work, so I did just that.



Breakfast was stellar.  Finally working on some elk burgers I picked up on my birthday a while back.  Mixed them in with half an avocado, 2 whole organic cage free eggs, 1 egg white, fat free cheese on a creppini egg wrap, along with 2 stalks of celery with some nuts n more, a keto waffle with sunbutter and a cup of almond milk



Perfect fuel to build the monolith.

Sunday, April 4, 2021

 Training Log: Entry 2385

AM WORKOUT (0520 Wake up via dog) FASTED


30 GHRs

10 neck bridges each way


MEAT EATER II from Tactical Barbell


10 rounds of

20 1 hand KB swings (alternate each swing)

10 burpees

1 min rest


Time: 19:49


20 chins

15 dips


Notes: Right hip was bugging me from the race, so instead of my traditional 100 burpees I got them in with Meat Eater. Had something of a tonic effect. I was taking this at a leisurely pace, but still got my heart rate up pretty decent. Got Easter Brunch buffet inbound, and I feel like that may be the fuel I need to start BtM on Monday.

---


PM WORKOUT (1400)


Prowler

2 lengths w/180 loaded (2 minutes rest between)

2 half lengths w/90 loaded (1 minute rest between)


Notes: Weather was good and school was closed so I used the local school parking lot for some pushes.  No idea on distance, but this is what it looks like





And it felt like hell.  Needed some breaks on the way down.  Way back was better, but still took some breaks.  Good to find some limits.


This workout followed my first legit cheat meal in quite a while.  Went out for Easter Brunch.  Going from memory I had


3 slices of prime rib

1 slice of ham

5 strips of real bacon (no turkey)

2.5 sausage links (kid didn't eat half of theirs)

Scrambled eggs

A made to order omelette with every veggie imaginable plus ham

2 pieces of bass

2 pieces of chicken in some sort of sauce

Crab louie

Lots of veggies

4 deviled eggs

A few bites of banana/strawberry bread pudding and oreo poundcake

And an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie


Felt good to "revist" my old self like that.  Had the ability to eat more, but knew the reasonable call was to cut it at that point. A little bit of gut distress later and I was good for the prowler.

 Training Log: Entry 2384

SATURDAY

AM WORKOUT (0430 natural wake up, 0730 workout)


10 mile race with Mrs 


Time: 1:32:29


PM WORKOUT (1530)


30 GHRs

10 neck bridges each way


4 rounds of

Chins: 14,3x12

Standing ab wheel: 4x5

Dips: 14, 3x12 (25 band pushdowns on final set)

BW reverse hyper: 4x10


50 band pull aparts



Notes: Run felt awesome today.  Coming into it recovered and having it be the first workout of the day went a long way.  Breakfast was a chicken breast patty, egg whites, fat free cheese and half an avocado in a crepinni egg wrap burrito with a slice of subutter toast and some nuts n more on celery, then a Finibar and Birthday Cake Bang an hour before the run.  Perfect fuel: stomach wasn't upset and I felt energized but light.  Wasn't running at a breakneck pace: something comfy that I could chat with the Mrs with.  Just a solid day.  Definitely had a half in me.


Got the daily work in.  Also got the whole family signed up for Tang Soo Do now.  

Thursday, April 1, 2021

 Training Log: Entry 2383


BBB BEEFCAKE Week 6, Workout 4 (final workout of program)


AM WORKOUT (0645, 0530 wake up via alarm)

CIRCUITS (chin-bench) plate change rest between sets


Chins (underhand)
100 total reps

Axle bench press
5xAxle
5x136
5x226
5x251
5x281

SUPERSETS (bench-row) 2:00 between sets

Axle bench press 226
5x10

DB row 90s
5x10

90 DB bench dropset w/12 deep breath rest pause
(Upright) 1x5
(5) 1x4
(4) 1x4
(3) 1x4
(2) 1x6
(1) 1x5
BW dips w/10 breath rest pause 8-9-8-8-8-9
25 band pushdowns

Poundstone curls
157xAxle

POST WORKOUT SHAKE

30 GHRs
10 neck bridges each way


Notes: Program is done.  Review posted soon, but in all this was a success.  That topset of 280 was a big one, and gives me a slight pause about BtM.  I've got a month to get 275 for 3x5, which may be in the cards, or I may take the TM down.  Still got time to tell.  Things were strong, and I made sure to really focus on technique.  The DB presses took a dive, but that's to be expected.  I was technically supposed to do 220 for 5x10, but the meathead in me wouldn't let that happen.  225 for 5x10 is always a great milestone for me.


First, a breakfast photo



Bottom right is a crepini egg wrap with half an avocado and 2 cage free organic eggs mixed with 2.25 ounces of grassfed piedmontese steak tips that I folded into a breakfast taco with some fat free cheddar.  The mug is a combination of cashew and almond milk (ran out of cashew milk), and the left is 2 stalks of celery cut in half with some nuts and more spread along with a slice of keto friendly toast with organic no salt added sunbutter.  I found out I like it more than the stuff with salt: how cool.  And, of course, an energy drink.

End of program physique shots





Not sure why that one is so small.  Oh well.





PM WORKOUT (1500)

50 band pull aparts

Tabata KB workouts (1 armed snatches for the 20 second intervals, 1 armed swings for the 10 seconds)

40 minute 80lb weighted vest walk

Notes: Just finishing up the day.  Got the race on Saturday: have to avoid the temptation to blow my brains out with conditioning the day before.  Will still get in the daily work and maybe something light as well, but have to be smart-ish.