**”TO VALHALLA** Week 3, Workout 3 “Bailing Out The Vasa When It Hits Deep Water” Part 3: Keg Cleans and Swings
10x10x155lb Keg clean
* 2 min rest between sets * 50KB swings w/24kg bell between sets * Rest periods starts at end of clean: swing on your rest times
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12 rounds of combinations of daily work and 300 squats and 120 push ups. Got in 5xAMRAP leg raises, 2x25 band pull aparts, 2 sets of curls, 2 sets of lateral raises.
BREAKFAST
2 mile walk
Notes:
* Gotta save the loot from the Deep Water!
* This was absolutely brutal. The posterior chain gets no rest at all.
* Went non-berserker because the powder coat on that keg will tear the hell out of my skin even THROUGH the shirt. In turn, I was soaked in sweat at the end. Just fantastically challenging and exactly what I needed. My legs are still nuked from Monday.
* Still need to get in 75 more swings to get to 5841 for the day, and the remaining push ups as well. Really glad I could get in that extra work though. It’s good to return to some ab training.
PM UPDATE
Med appointment confirmed that this way of living suits me
Also, got my new shoes. I like them.
And I got in my 75 swings and 180 push ups. TSD was canx, but oh well.
Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Training Log: Entry 2977
AM WORKOUT (0420 wake up via alarm) FED
**”TO VALHALLA** Week 3, Workout 2: “Bailing out the Vasa in Deep Water” Part 2: Viking Thrusters and Swings
* 10x10x115 (on the axle) Viking Thrusters w/2 min rest between thrusters
* 50 KB swings between thrusters
* Rest time starts at end of Thrusters. Swings done DURING rest.
* Finish the 10x10, transition to 5 minutes of Burpserkers (yes, I’m renaming burpee chins to be more Viking and I love it): 38 total
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300 push ups and squats 3 AMRAP hanging leg raises Curls w/20lb DBs until pumped
BREAKFAST
75 swings
2 mile walk
Notes:
* Continuing on with my terrible idea of combining Vikings with Deep Water with the swing challenge. This was an interesting combination where it seemed like it wasn’t challenging enough except I am clearly dying in the later rounds due to the stupid short rest times and full ROM movement of a thruster. The second and third round of swings in both of these workouts are when I feel the most like puking. Finishing the workout in 28 minutes put me in a mood to throw in those Burpserkers, which, also, @ChongLordUno , I’m failry certain you should don the title of “Burpserker” in general and also consider picking a burpee variant and giving it that title.
* Kept it 2 minutes the whole time for rest times, which was a fantastic added challenge. The overhead work is always a balancing act when it comes to weight.
* My legs are absolutely trashed from yesterday, as are my glutes, which is quite a sensation. My bodyweight is up to 181.0, which I imagine a big part of that is simply inflammation from how totally swollen my entire lower body has become.
* It was good to get some direct ab and arm training in. I recognize that, left to my own devices these things DON’T get done, and it’s what Jamie’s program was good for to me. I’ll need to get back into something like that.
* Tang Soo Do may be happening tonight. Schedules are a little screwy with travel.
* In my quest for continual process improvement, I believe I’ve found a way to address my compulsive gum chewing (like a smoker, I’m almost a pack a day dude) and underhydration by switching to ice chips. The gum chewing is a holdover from my days of always EATING something, and it seems I’m just used to my mouth always being in motion (yes, make your jokes now). Meanwhile, because I was always chewing gum, I wasn’t drinking fluids. So now I’m chomping on a bunch of ice chips at work, which is getting me some water, satiating the need to chew something, and some argue raising my metabolic rate ever so slightly. Aside from being a little weird on the social side, I feel like this is a win.
* I am digging my switch from plastic egg cookers to glass jars. This is such a small thing and a big thing at the same time. Today I’ll try whole eggs vs just whites.
* I have been including this bone broth WITH many of my egg white creations, along with mixing it with my coffee and a few other spots, and plan to make it the base of my carnivore chili when I come around to it. Also used it for the chuck roast that I cut up this week for sandwich meat and it was amazing. I love all the things I’m discovering through this process. They also have a chicken and veggie variant.
* My bearfoot shoes are supposed to come in tomorrow, and a Piedmontese order soon after. I’m thinking I’m gonna have a summer of “Rampage” meals where it’s family steak night/BBQ and I eat some real, authentic goddamn delicious Nebraska sweet corn, sweet potatoes, local raw honey and sourdough bread. I’m already seeing the benefits from my carb up on Sunday, there’s no denying that I need these weekly carbs, but I also really just don’t need to eat junk, and I can FEEL the difference when I load up on junk vs not. I wrote on my past 2 previous Rampage meal post workouts how the workout was “cleansing” and I was “sweating Crisco”, and could observe how foul my body odor was, whereas doing the Deep Water squats off of homemade sourdough and local honey just had me training hard and feeling fine. And I have plenty of Finibars for dessert, which are delicious.
* 5266 swings so far: halfway to 10k and a third of the way to 15.
PM UPDATE
Pretty proud of this
I made a casserole out of leftovers using the microwave.
4 egg whites mixed with a splash of beef broth, 12 chicken meatballs cut in half, and a shaving of grassfed Dubliner cheese. About 4 minutes in the microwave total. Just a little soupy on the bottom, which I have a few ways I could address it, but otherwise the slices came out clean. Pasta-less casserole. I topped with some grassfed sour cream because that stuff is delicious. "Cooked" it in some glassware storage: stupidly simple.
Tang Soo Do was a decent workout. More evil in store for tomorrow.
Monday, June 12, 2023
Training Log: Entry 2796
AM WORKOUT (0420 wake up via alarm) FED
**"To Valhalla"** Week 3, Workout 1: **"Bailing Out The Vasa When It Hits Deep Water On Way To Ragnarok"**
Deep Water meets the 10k swing challenge. Seriously, f- -k you: I’m a Viking.
SSB Squats 10x10x275+chains
Rest no longer than 4 minutes between squats.
Do 50 KB swings between sets.
The swings are done DURING the rest period. You do not start the rest after the swings. The ship is SINKING gets: bail it out!
BREAKFAST
75 more swings 50 push ups 50 squats 2 mile walk
Notes:
* I came up with this yesterday and got giddy with myself for being so twisted. I was thinking to myself that the instinctive training has been awesome, but that I’m FULLY aware that, instinctively, I am a hedonist, not an ascetic. The WODs have been hard, but not challenging. They were not pushing me beyond my limits. So it was time to take something that does EXACTLY that. I’m thinking of doing a whole week of Deep Water workouts with a Viking twist and that 15k challenge looming.
* The story: The Vasa is a ship with an amazing history that you should look up, but ultimately it serves as a fantastic symbol of man’s hubris. It’s a warship that is too big to sail. It sunk on its maiden voyage due to its own volume. What a fantastic metaphor. “I don’t care if I die, as long as they bury me in a BIG goddamn box!” We should all strive to be so large that we capsize. But, in turn, just imagine the SHEER amount of force and strength it would take to row such a beast to KEEP it afloat on your way to war? This requires the labor and strength of legendary fallen warriors. But even THEY can only keep the Vasa afloat for so long: it WILL take on water. Which is why, after each set, we bail it out with 50 KB swings. We are rowing into DEEP WATER my friends: we cannot stop or we will drown.
* We lost 2 oarsmen at set 8 and one at set 9. We went back for them. We will need every man for this war.
* I kept it at 2 min of rest for the first 3 sets, then like 2:15 for a few, then 2:45 and some 3:00s in there.
* The SSB is ABSOLUTELY the most Viking bar one could squat with, no question. Another option would be actual Viking squats with the landmine, but this is what I settled on. Chains, of course, are far more Viking than without chains. If I wanted to make it even more Viking, the swings would be replaced with something like Viking handle deadlifts or floor to overhead. Thrusters would be TOO stupid, because it’d be squats on top of squats. Oh yeah, and, of course, actual rowing would make the most sense.
* This was ABSOLUTELY what I was looking for as far as pushing my limits goes. And I’m opening myself up to all sorts of possibilities in that regard. I’m thinking that I could have some weeks where it’s pure intuitive/instinctive training, followed by 1 week of “counterintuitive” training BY DESIGN to create disruption/intentional dissonance and chaos to force growth. Harmony is beautiful: disharmony DRIVES a necessary adaptation to return TO harmony, and it’s that adaptation that IS growth, and that growth IS strength.
* Like, I could do a Viking Deep Water week, a Viking Building the Monolith week, a Viking Super Squats Week, etc. Fully understanding these are PROGRAMS, with their own logical build up and structure, and a week of them isn’t necessarily meeting THEIR design…but it SURE meets mine.
* My glutes and hamstrings are locking up like mad. This was a fantastic stimulus. This week, I travel out on Friday and spend time with family, away from the gym and my modern conveniences. I’m planning on bringing the kettlebell, to stay with the challenge, and will accomplish my daily minimums and regular physical activity, but will otherwise run a mini-famine, if not kickstart the full famine from that starting point.
* While talking nutrition: it honestly felt good to skip the Rampage for a week and just do a simple, “wholesome” carb up. I’m running into the issue I ran into with “Deep Mountain”: this style of eating is so sustainable and suitable that I honestly don’t WANT to deviate from it. And it’s so simple that I have to consciously choose to NOT eat the way that I want to eat. Everywhere we went that had an opportunity to Rampage and carb up ALSO had an opportunity to just eat meat, and I wanted to MEAT, NOT the carbs. I was never a sugar addicted, and pretty much the only reason I ever “craved” carbs was because I was limiting myself on meat for SOME reason, but once I told myself “if it’s animal, it’s allowed”, I have no desire to eat anything beyond that. BUT, I recognized that this training had COMPLETELY drained my glycogen stores. I am looking and feeling flat, and I DO experience improvements in training and physique when I include a regular weekly carb up. Holy hell, this speaks EXACTLY to what I wrote about above creating intentional disharmony for the sake of growth: that’s nuts!
* So all THAT said, I REALLY dug how this carb up shook out. Homemade bread, local honey, minimally processed nut butters, etc. Very “clean” carbs, and I tried to go as low fat as possible while keeping protein higher to really shake things up. The dirtiest carb was the breakfast cereal and, consequentially, it was the least enjoyable part of it. If I were to do it over, I’d get a sweet potato instead: I always liked those. Capping it off with the Finibar was the perfect touch, because it’s gentle on the guts and definitely had me feeling satiated, to say nothing of the fact that those things are just goddamn delicious. I microwaved it, to make it a real treat. And I went to bed feeling GREAT: not bloated, stuffed, sweating and miserable like I do after the Rampages. I’m still going to eat what I want from here on out, which means that, if I find myself in a state that a REAL Rampage sounds great, I’ll do exactly that. The Brunch I had last weekend, with French toast and pancakes and etc, was exactly that. But the brunch I had THIS weekend was ALSO fantastic, and it was pure carnivore. I’m not going to eat junk just to eat junk, because that’s stupid, but if I want to eat it, there’s a great avenue for it, and otherwise, I know how to get in some carbs and meet the objectives.
* A few other nutrition points: we called this “Carb backloading” back in the day, so that’s cool. Also, I swapped out the grassfed whole cream I was putting in my coffee with beef broth, which makes it more like a soup, and I’m totally ok with. I honestly didn’t care for the cream in the coffee: was just looking for an opportunity to consume a bit more animal. ALSO, I made my egg whites in a mason jar this morning vs my microwave egg cooker, and now there’s no going back. The fewer heated plastics, the better.
* I pulled the trigger on some "barefoot shoes". Went with the Ursus
* I legit picked them because they're made of leather and I'm full on embracing this "animal based" thing. And Brian Alsruhe supports the company, and Chris Duffin is a part owner of it, and it's a North Dakota based company so it all lined up. I'm excited to give them a go.
* I also bought Brian's newest e-book on EMOM training. It's evil, as expected.
* Current swing total is 4691 in 7 days.
Sunday, June 11, 2023
Training Log: Entry 2795
Ok, another wild day, as usual for weekends. All good things.
Slept off and on until about 0800, immediately upon waking got in 150 push ups and 100 squats, then soon after 400 swings done in 2 sets of 200, each taking about 5:10 to accomplish, so that's good to know for baseline. Fasted all the way to brunch at 1000, which was pure carnivore.
Did chores, came home, knocked out 180 more swings in and used the remaining time of a 10 minute timer to get in another 100 push ups and squats.
Saw a play with the family, picked up Panda Express on the way home, large entre of Teriyaki Chicken and then I made "Noodles" using those egg wraps. Turned out pretty decent. Bottom right is just some piedmontese steak tips I cut up small for some gyros/tacos this week.
Got in a deadlift workout immediately after dinner:
405+chains off 3 mats for 8+4+3
Went for immediate 3 mile walk and then 50 push ups and squats.
Didn't do a Rampage this week, but got in a carb up after dinner.
Some thin sliced homemade sourdough with some raw local honey mixed with pumpkin, a small smear of some peanut butter, sunflower butter or nuts n' more depending on the slice, sprinkled with naked PB, some slices toasted, some not, alongside 100 calories of applejax with some protein powder mixed in, some of that protein egg white cake I made and a cereal bar that I actually swapped out for a Peanut Butter Finibar because I realized, if I wanted a Peanut Butter bar, I HAD better choices I could make.
I have some VERY evil intentions for my workout tomorrow morning. This was an awesome day.
Saturday, June 10, 2023
Training Log: Entry 2794
Figured out a better way to do the food porn
Here we go, sum up the day. Bottom right is breakfast: omelet 3 whole pasture raised eggs, grassfed dubliner cheese, grassfied piedmontese steak tips, chicken bacon, an egg white, next to a Don Lee farms chicken patty, paleo chicken sausages, and this kickass bacon I found
I honestly need to just hook up with our local butcher, but that will do for now.
Lunch was some leftover air fried chicken thighs and egg whites, bottom left.
Upper right is meal prep: took a piedmontese chuck roast and pressure cooked it in some beef bone broth...and that was it. And it turned out fantastic, and I sliced it thin and I'm thinking tacos or gyros now.
Upperleft is dinner: pork ribs and chopped brisket from our favorite local BBQ place. This chopped brisket really redeemed them, because their sliced brisket was very sub-par. Once again, I traded my kid my cornbread for their brisket. Sucker!
And upper middle...a "nailed it" esque attempt at a protein egg white cake in the slow cooker. I think cooking it was the mistake. Even though it's egg whites, I feel safe enough making it a no-bake next time and seeing how that goes. It's edible, but dry. I can resolve that, of course, but the attempts are part of the fun. And it only took 15 minutes to get the bottom of the instant pot cleaned out!
As far as training goes, first thing upon waking up my feet hit the floor, 150 push ups and 250 squats. 100 KB swings while taking out the trash, another 50 after taking the dog for a 2+ mile walk, then I got in this Viking WOD
**"To Valhalla" Week 2, Workout 6: "Berserker POW of Ragnarok"**
* Max swings, EMOM 3 burpee chins. 425 was the goal to reach my 575 for the day, but I had enough time to go over that. 24kg bell.
So I'm at a total of 3536 in 6 days, and ahead of schedule. Good place to be...again.
Then got in a 3 mile walk with my kiddo after dinner, and somewhere along the line the rest of my push ups and squats.
I bought a rower! It's this model
I know that's like a kid's toy for the rowers out there, but the price was right, since I got it off facebook market. It fits in perfectly in the gym.
We're trying for brunch again tomorrow, but I'm honestly not feeling a rampage right now. I may make it a carnivore brunch, purely for the challenge of it, and then just have a nice carb up meal at lunch or dinner instead, and keep it a bit on the cleaner side. But, of course...
Chaos is the plan.
Friday, June 9, 2023
Training Log: Entry 2793
AM WORKOUT (0440 wake up via alarm, absolutely exhausted from yesterday) FED
**TO VALHALLA** Week 2, Workout 5 **”Blacksmith of Valhalla Outfits the Fallen”**
575 kb swings w/24kg bell, but EMOM do a Viking Armor Building Complex w/90lbs loaded on axle.
225 squats and push ups in 6 minutes
BREAKFAST
2+ mile walk in the sun
Notes:
* Got it done inside 35 rounds. It was awful. We are building armor here folks! Gotta swing that hammer.
* I was absolutely EXHAUSTED coming into this. Genuinely did not want to do it. Spent some time looking at my feet and wondering if there was any room to not train today. Discovered there was not. Yesterday was INCREDIBLE. I had the most fun training and living I’ve had in a LONG time. My wife told me she literally could not remember the last time she had seen me so happy. But BOY was it a LOT of activity. Orm would be proud. I may have to make that an annual thing.
* Got in the majority of push ups and squats, but wanted to keep the workout time lower and get some stuff done. I have Tang Soo Do tonight, which will provide more opportunities for activity.
* 575 swings done, so I’m at 2936 in 5 days: ahead of schedule. Good place to be.
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Training Log: Entry 2792
AM WORKOUT (0440 natural wake up) FED
**TO VALHALLA** Week 2, Workout 4 **"Festival of Orm Stórolfsson Part 1: Feats of Endurance"**
38 rounds of
15 KB swings w/24kg bell 8 squats 8 push-ups
While wearing our armor (10lb vest)
BREAKFAST
2+ mile walk w/dog
Notes:
The festival runs through the day and ends with a feast! We start off the morning with a light breakfast and feats of endurance
"Why 38 rounds?" Because we're still going to get 15k swings in 26 days, and 38 rounds of 15 got us to 570, with 5 more tacked on for 575, which puts us on pace. 8s for push ups and squats got us slightly over 300: our daily goal.
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Folks, the festival continues to be fantastic. We feasted for lunch
3 air fried chicken thighs, skin on, seasoned only with duck fat, because MEAT IS DELICIOUS. Served with a side of egg whites.
From there, we paid tribute to Orm in the most satisfactory of manner: a Viking Powerlifting Meet and Timed hold with the bar on our back
**"VIKING POWERLIFTING MEET & TRIBUTE TO ORM"**
A Viking would not debase himself by lying down, so there is no benching here.
Double bodyweight on squats, bodyweight on log, 3/4 bodyweight on stone. I weighed in at 177 this morning
, so rounded it to 175 for 355 on the squat, 175 on the log and 135 on the stone.
2 reps per lift: one for me and one for Orm.
18 rounds, because 6 attempts per lift: once again, 1 meet for me, 1 meet for Orm.
When it's over, we load up the bar much like the ships mast that did in our hero and we hold for as long as we can. That was 645lbs. Nothing significant about the number: it was the heaviest I could load onto the bar in the fastest time.
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This evening, I feast at some manner of Texas steakhouse, whereupon I have been informed the ribs of a swine await me alongside some manner of barely warmed bovine. To Valhalla!
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EDIT/UPDATE
Honestly thought I was done logging, but the evening turned out pretty awesome. I got an 8oz thick cut NY Strip Steak at Texas Roadhouse. For my side, I asked for 2 house salads with no lettuce, tomato or crutons “just eggs and cheese”. Our server made me a SALAD out of shredded cheddar cheese and eggs. I brought home like a pound of shredded cheese, because eating it would have been absurd. I also got a sidekick of ribs without sauce, and they were delicious AND free because they took a while to come out. It was a fantastic meal, and then my kiddo pitched the idea of a 5 mile walk after dinner, which I just got back from. No finer way to celebrate the memory of Orm: feasting and festival.
