Training Log: Entry 3136

AM WORKOUT (0420 natural wake up)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 8, Day 4-“Drunken Tribute”

50 minutes of

EMOM

* 5 burpees

* 2 keg one motions overhead w/100lb keg

8 minutes of various assistance work

BREAKFAST

Walk w/wolf (no vest)

Notes:

* Took video, but something is gumming up the upload.  

* This is effectively Kalsu with a keg.  100 reps of getting the keg from the floor overhead, but EMOM do 5 burpees.  I paced it for an even 50 rounds, which netted me 250 burpees as well.  This didn’t hit quite as hard as a full on Kalsu, but I imagine it’s because of that pacing.  I’d finish each round without about 20 seconds to recover if I was motoring vs my typical strategy on Kalsu of “go until the whistle”.  I’ve always wanted to give this a try, and it’s nice to know it’s viable.  The weight of the keg is also not scaled appropriately, but was still plenty challenging.  In general, worth pursuing again.

* “Drunken tribute” because of the keg.  I don’t want to embellish the name of a hero WOD, so I’m not going to include “Kalsu” in the title in that regard.  

* Was fairly smoked after it was over, so just got in some light assistance and a no-vest walk.

Another awesome bit of art worth saving

 Training Log: Entry 3135

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 8, Day 3

(2) Axle mat pulls w/rest pause

5+4+3x406

20 minutes of

* 10 Klokov presses w/66lbs

* 10 dips

* 10 full ROM lateral raises w/10lbs

* 15 pull aparts

6 rounds completed

Breathing squats w/pullovers

12x260+chains

8x260

Poundstone curls

100xAxle

BREAKFAST

Walk w/wolf while wearing 50lb vest

Notes:

* Mixed bag today.  That was the best performance I’ve had on the mat pulls.  I actually coulda hit 6 on that first set, but the straps slipped, so I got the extra rep on the follow on instead.  Meanwhile, my lower back was totally overtaxed on the squats, and I ran into fatigue way too soon.  However, in both cases, minimal pain in the right hip, which is a victory.  I feel like both results are speaking to the weight loss: belt fit better and I could get into a better position on the pulls, but the cals are low and the waist is smaller, making the squats suck.  I may give the squats one more effort to see how it goes and evaluate how to close out the program from there.  I’m not eating to support growth in 20 rep squats, but I’m close to the finish.  

* Using a kettlebell handle for pull overs is really awesome.  Gotta remember that for the future.

* That press circuit is a modification of what I was doing back when I had my best pressing results.  Just a classic circuit.  My shoulders were blown up when it was done.

* Happy that I went with the vest today.  I was feeling beat to hell, but it was for the best.

* As of last night, I am the dojang sparring champion.  There’s not much victory there: the majority of the class is children.  I DID beat the senior student, which is a high school kid with and attitude problem, and that was rewarding.  For everyone else, I hamstrung myself as much as possible.  Only 3 hand techniques are allowed in sparring: front punch, reverse punch and side punch, and there’s no striking to the head allowed.  So I restricted myself to hands only and crouched REALLY low so I could present my head as a target.  Basically went back to my boxing roots.  

* Weighed in at 172lbs this morning.  Down 2.5lbs from last week.  Give or take.  Bathroom scale is set to kilos for some reason.

 Training Log: Entry 3134

AM WORKOUT (0421 natural wakeup)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 8, Day 2

*45 minutes of mainwork*

SUPERSET (press-chin)

Log clean and strict press away

3x175

1x185

1x190

Chins w/chains

1x8

2x7

GIANT SETS (press-assistance-pull)

Log clean and strict press away

2x3x175

8x2x175

Chins

3x9

2x8

Standing wheel of pain

3x9

2x8

Band pull aparts

5x17

12 minutes of Dan John’s ladder w/ prisoner squats and push ups (170 reps total of each)

BREAKFAST

Walk w/wolf (no weight vest)

Notes:

* Definitely feeling the famine.  Training burnout hitting hard.  Absolutely did not want to train this morning, remembered how last week when that happened I was at my strongest so decided to give it a go.  Turned out: I was wrong.  Biggest issue was headspins: just kept blacking out on the heavier weights.  But even once I dropped to the triples I could tell that doubles were the right move.  Put in the hard work and moved through it as strong as I could.  Pleased to get that topset of 190 for a strong single.

* Went without the vest, just because I was feeling so beat up.  Also, I’ve got Tang Soo Do sparring later tonight, so that’ll be some more activity.

* Really worked to push fast/hard on the bodyweight work at the end there and turned it into some conditioning.  That felt good to be able to do.

* After a few weeks, I’m gonna say that the Slingshot knee sleeves are awesome and get my stamp of approval.  My knees are really feeling solid, I can wear them all workout, they’re warm, compressive, don’t move around.  They feel like strongman shorts for the knees.

* Physique is really looking sharp these days.  The whole system coming together is honestly pretty amazing.  The famine, along with priming the body, shaves away with little fluff gets accumulated from the feast, and the family meal/carb refeed helps fill back in some lost glycogen.  Learning how to balance it all has been enjoyable, and the feasting weeks are just absolutely awesome.  But the big thing is learning how to predict the pattern.  The first week of the famine is the worst: everything looks and feels wrong.  But the second week is where it pays off.  And I may drag it into a 2.5 week run, just because I have so much awesome feasting coming up.   The training burnout is the only thing I need to keep an eye on.

 Training Log: Entry 3133

AM WORKOUT (0424 wake up via dog)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 8, Workout 1

*30 Minutes of Mainwork*

1 burpee chins

2 Axle clean each rep and push press (103lb)

Each round, add 1 burpee chin and 2 presses

Finished my 10th burpee chin and 7th press before the timer ran out

*10% Corollary*

Breathing Squats w/pullovers

20x255+chains

50 pull aparts

25 conan curls

BREAKFAST

Walk w/wolf while wearing 50lb vest

Notes:

* Settled on this after slumming on Wodwell for some inspiration.  Push press is something I’ve neglected, and with me doing 20 rep squats later in the workout I didn’t wanna do thrusters or anything too lower body intensive, so this worked out well.  Good way to come back from the weekend/carb up as well.  If I really pushed the pace, this would be a monster conditioning workout, but this was more about rep quality and getting in the time.  The burpee chins allow for a solid enough break, and cleaning each rep means I can rest as needed to hit the goal.  I had an idea to go 21-15-9 as well, but wasn’t sure if that’d really fit into the 30 minutes.  

* Big W on those breathing squats.  I’m definitely reaching some limits there.  LOTS of breathing on those last 4-5 reps.  Never had that experience with low bar: I was always in such a rush to get the bar off my back.  This has been a positive experience.  It’s also been 8 weeks of Super Squatting, which is pretty nuts.  I’m seeing my physique really fill out while staying pretty lean.  But I’m also now halfway through a famine, and I can feel the mental fatigue hitting.  Amazingly enough, the squats are about the only thing I care to do: I’m getting a bit burnt out with the other stuff.  A deload would solve that, but that’s what my upcoming cruise is for.

* Recovered enough to get in the weight vest this morning.  That’s been a positive change.

Training Log: Entry 3132

Got up at 0545 for an early start, 100 push ups and prisoner squats, great breakfast, did this workout

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9leoT6GI40 

"Carol of the Bells"

I have a 40kg bell, 2 24kg bells, a 20kg bell and a 10kg bell.  On tabata intervals, I push up onto the handle and then do SOMETHING with the bell I'm no (snatch, devil press, swing, throw, etc), then, whatever bell I'm holding when time runs out, I do goblet squats

Took the dog for a walk immediately after that ala Easy Strength for Fat Loss, ran a bunch of errands and was generally active, light lunch (3 burger patties at Culvers), then got in a 3-ish mile walk before a family dinner/carb refeed, featuring "farmer's casserole" with bison and some homemade sourdough for dessert.

Second week of the famine starts and I'm more than ready, because it means the feast is coming...and I am MORE than ready for that.  If all goes while, the kiddo and I have a lunch date at Texas de Brazil on the 22nd, we do our Christmas Eve feast, leftovers on Christmas Day, and then the cruise.  It's a GOOD time to be alive.

 Training Log: Entry 3131

Slept until about 0700, got up and got in 50 prisoner squats and pushups, had a fantastic breakfast and then got in 54 burpee chins in 5 minutes

Chores, great lunch, came home and put a new spin on Juarez Valley.  Calling it "Valley of The Shadow of Death"

185lb front squat
20kg KBs

1-10-2-9-3-8-4-7-6-5 front squats, with 3 devil presses between each set.  Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of death, I will fear no evil...devil presses.  Yeah: it's cute.

Gotta brag about my kid.  We went out to dinner to celebrate a big accomplishment for my wife.  Great local spot.  My kid discovered their love for steak at Texas De Brazil and now it's all they want.  They're at an age where they can still eat off the kid's menu, but we told them they can order off either menu if there is something they want.  As soon as we got it, my kid looked at the menu and said "OOOOh, they have ribeye!"  My kid picked the $35 ribeye: the most expensive thing on the menu.  I asked if they would share if they couldn't eat it all, they said yes, so I was on board.  Got myself the thick cut bacon cheeseburger with cheddar, knife and forked it, and my kid put away about half of a very well sized ribeye (14oz I'd estimate).  They said "I'm a carnivore: just like dad"

Proud papa moment.

 Training Log: Entry 3130

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm, another better night of sleep)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 7, Day 5

*30 minutes of main work*

GIANT SET (press-shrug-pull)

Axle continental and strict press away

5x156

5x166

3x166

Tree of Woe shrugs

3x10

Band pull aparts

3x10

GIANT SET (press-assistance-pull)

Axle clean and strict press away

3x10x128

8x128

9x128

3x128

DB full ROM lateral raise

3x8x20s

Neck harness

2 sets

Wheels of pain

1x9

Band pull aparts

5x20

*10% Corollary*

Breathing squats w/pull overs

18+2x255+chains

Breakfast

Walk w/wolf while wearing 50lb vest

Notes:

* I was surprisingly fatigued this morning.  I hit the famine hard this week, and I’m thinking that is showing.  Which meant that finally getting that set of 5 on 166 was fantastic, and the majority of the 50 reps of 128 moved at a good clip, but I eventually just ran out of steam.  I didn’t even think I’d manage ONE rep of the squats, so getting as far as I did was fantastic.  In truth, I could have kept going, but when I hit rep 18 I felt myself cut it short and knew that I was at a point where my body was making poor decisions in order to survive.  I racked it so I could get in quality reps, knowing that I could come back and own this weight next week.  7 weeks of Super Squats is a record for me as it is, and I’m holding up surprisingly well.  I had the right hip pain this time, but the knees are feeling solid.

* I am thinking that Zeno squats might be an effective protocol to employ here at some point, but that’s a once a week thing.  I’d have to do a little space filling in there.

* Was feeling strong enough to bring the vest back for the walk.  

* Tang Soo Do is on the agenda for later tonight.

Posting this photo of Hercules putting Thor in a rear naked choke, because that's pretty awesome

I was thinking this morning how much I had fun at that tournament.  I don't even care for grappling in particular, but it was just awesome to experience "combat" again.  I really would like to make that a regular thing.