Training Log: Entry 2614
AM WORKOUT (0640) FASTED
12 rounds of burpees over bar at 20 seconds on/10 seconds off
PM WORKOUT (1500)
Start with 1 KB cluster 45lb bells and 10 chins, then 2 and 9, repeat until numbers reversed, then work back down the KB clusters with 10 KB cluster and 1 dip, 9 and 2, until numbers reversed
Training Log: Entry 2613
BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 3, Workout...5?
AM WORKOUT (0620 natural wake up) FASTED
10 rounds of burpees over bar using 20 seconds on/10 seconds off
AM WORKOUT II (1000)
60 DB rows w/105lbs in 4:15
Poundstone curls
188xAxle
PM WORKOUT (1330)
Axle bench press
5xAxle
5x226
5x256
5x286
4x286
3x5x276
Texas deadlift bar touch and go deadlifts
5x135
5x225
5x315
5x405
5x455
3x5x500
CONDITIONING
Stone of Steel (135lb) to shoulder and KB (45lb) cluster ladder up to 5
LATER
2 mile walk with dog
Notes: In between all that was various daily work. Just kinda active all day. Bench fell apart, so I set it back 2 cycles and finished up. It's been a struggle to come to terms with how weak all my pressing has become, and my deadlifting for that matter. My squat is sky-rocketing, so I'll ride that high as long as I can. Was quite proud of the effort I put into the deads: definitely blew out a ton of blood vessels.
That little conditioning workout was a burner: happy with how it worked. Definitely a solid skeleton to play with. Easy enough to take it to 10 sometime.
At my kid's Tang Soo Do class I found out I got invited to join the advanced class. I'm a bit torn, because this was supposed to be a family activity and this is clearly separating me from them, but my wife is excited about it. I'd still be able to do a class with her once a week and then do the advanced on my own. I'm finding myself getting drawn back in again, which is cool.
I need to eat more. There's 3 weeks left, I'm in the home stretch, and I'm simultaneously setting PRs everywhere and having the wheels fall off at the same time.
Training Log: Entry 2612
AM WORKOUT (0625 natural wake up) FASTED
21 KB clusters w/45lbs
21 chins
15 clusters
15 chins
9 clusters
9 chins
Time: 9:46
Notes: Fran with some modifications. Good way to start the day and get the systems firing. My traps are, predictably, very sore, but my hamstring feels good. Interestingly enough, the thing that hurt the most immediately post my 365 rep set was my feet. They were in agony. I remember Jamie Lewis mentioning something to the same effect for his 30 minute overhead press challenge. Funny that.
Planning on making this another conditioning day and then hitting deads tomorrow. We're thinking of walking around the zoo a bit today, and after that maybe the Tower will call to me.
PM WORKOUT
"GARDEN OF EDEN"
Front squats of 225lbs/100kg with 5 burpees between sets
17 (3 rep PR)-1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Daily work
2 mile walk with the dog
Notes: "Garden of Eden" because you eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil first, commit your sin, and from there are damned to the tower. Topset was an easy PR: I'm getting stronger. Especially when you consider I'm doing this workout the day after doing 365 reps with 135 on the trap bar, and after walking around the zoo all day, on a belly full of chinese buffet food.
Surprisingly, I still think the original Tower is more challenging, but this was nice for a change of pace. But it might also just be that my conditioning has reach so much "other worldly" that I can't really find the challenge I need. Log Kalsu will fix that, but didn't want to do that before deads. I'm finding ways to make the prowler break me as well.
Training Log: Entry 2611
Started the morning off with tabata burpees over bar, had 1.5 cinamon rolls, then did 365 reps of 135lbs of high handle trap bar pulls
Because traditions.
Actually got to get in a round of sparring last night. I'm using SO many spin kicks these days because of the limited ruleset, but that's good for my flexibility and mobility. Trying to focus on working angles rather than coming straight on. One of the biggest issues is having to remember which techniques I've been officially taught and sparring at "my level". On the plus side, the instructor considers me something of a threat at least, because he clowned the other students while offering me a solid challenge.
We got to work the wavemasters prior to that. One drill was 30 seconds, hands only, flurry of blows. Apparently I was shaking the whole Dojang. We also did a minute of mixed hands and kicks. My whole body is pretty stiff after that. I need to work the BAS more. Power is there, but, in turn, my body isn't used to exploding like that.
In that regard, the burpees over bar in the morning as SUPER restorative.
Training Log: Entry 2610
BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 3, Workout 1
AM WORKOUT (0305 natural wake up)
Chins
100 total
Box jumps
3x3
Buffalo Bar Squat
5xBar
5x140
5x230
5x350
5x390
5x5x435
Axle clean and strict press away
5x151
5x171
5x191
11+4+5x151 (rest pause)
Band pull aparts
5x20
Dips
200 total
Lateral raises
80x5lbs
40 reverse hypers w/50lbs
20 standing ab wheels
25 pushdowns
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
CONDITIONING
Tabata bear complexes w/95lbs
Notes: All over the place with this workout. I wanted to take my time since it was the heaviest day, so I got the first 40 chins out of the way before even getting on the shoes. Then I set up the box and got in some jumps and chins before finally getting around to setting up the axle for cleans. At that point, I ran giant sets of jump-squat-chin-press until I needed to use the plates I set up on the box, so then it was squat-chin-press until I did all the presses, then squat-chin until squat worksets. For chins, I was doing alternating sets of 12 and 13 to get to numbers ending in 5, and finished up with a set of 15 to get my 100.
On the set of squats before the worksets started, I pulled something in my right hamstring. I know exactly what I did wrong; took the eccentrics too fast. I was trying to move quicker on the set to convince my body that the weight was light, but I should know by now that quick eccentrics always hurt my hamstrings. It made the 5x5 after that very interesting, as I had to take the first rep VERY slow to ensure things loaded properly. Extra time under tension is awesome.
After I racked the bar for the final set of squats, I paced around the gym saying the f-word a lot. My right forearm was in agony. Took a while for it to play nice again. 200 dips seemed to help.
On the presses, I was able get the weight off the floor without much issue for the heaviest set, but the weight went forward on me around rep 3 and fighting to regroove it forced me to have to rack between reps 4 and 5. On the plus side, taking the axle out of the rack demonstrated to me that I can get a much stronger position coming out of the rack compared to off the floor, which explains discrepancies in numbers beyond simple fatigue.
Went with bear complexes for conditioning because I wanted to force the hamstring through ROM. One of the things I've learned over time: if you baby it, it becomes a baby. I have to keep it from shortening up.
All this to say, I will get up at 0300, eat a keto waffle with some sunbutter, break myself on my warm-up sets and still crush my squats, do 200 dips, and run through a conditioning circuit, because f**k everything.
Full day of activity ahead, to include sparring night at Tang Soo Do.
Took a photo of the bar loaded up for squats, because it's awesome
PM WORKOUT (1500)
Keg Grace
2:20 (15 second PR)
Notes: I don't even have words for how crazy this is getting.
Still got Tang Soo Do later tonight. Hamstring is buggy but clearly functional.
Training Log: Entry 2609
BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 2, Workout 6
AM WORKOUT (0317 natural wake up) FASTED
“BREAKING THE LAW”
18 rounds in 52.5 minutes
Notes: Just gonna explain this one. This is a prowler workout. I have the prowler loaded with 90lbs on one end, and 60 paces away are my 45lb kettlebells.
Odd round: Run to KBs, do 5 front squats, run back to prowler, low handle push it to the bells, then backwards drag it back to start.
Even round: Run to KBs, do 5 clusters, run back to prowler, low handle push it to bells, high handle push back to start
So why the cute name? Because in the middle of round 7, the cops rolled up on me. They’re were more than cool about the whole thing, considering I was shirtless in a high school parking lot in sub freezing weather pushing a prowler.
Exchange went like this
Me, delirious with prowler flu, trying to remember what time it was to render a proper time of day greeting “gasp, wheeze, Mornin’ Officer”
“Good morning…I THOUGHT that was what you were doing, but I had to come and verify just to be sure.”
“I appreciate you doing that.”-followed by me staring at him with dead sunken eyes.
“That looks like hard work!”
“Yup”
Awkward silence as I wonder if I should just keep pushing to signify that the exchange is over. Finally he says
“Well I’ll let you get back to it”
“Have a good morning”-finish up the high handle push
I figured it was a matter of time. I am SO glad I had my sweat pants on instead of my usual blue rehband shorts…
PM WORKOUTS
Closed the Captains of Crush #2 for a few dozen sets of 4, the 1 for 22 reps, and then walked for 50 minutes with an 80lb vest in the evening.
Kiddo and I have a big day planned tomorrow, to include a trampoline park, lunch at the Golden Corral (their choice) and mini-golfing, kicking off with a 2 mile walk with our dog. I'm gonna Crushing BtM Week 3 workout 1 in the AM. Looking at the squat weights with zero fear: excitement instead on destroying them. My mind is right.
Training Log: Entry 2608
BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 2, Workout 5
AM WORKOUT (0308 natural wake up)
Log viper press 130lbs
1x50
GIANT SET (chin-squat-pull)
Weighted chins 85lbs
5x5
Buffalo Bar Squats
5xBar
5x140
5x230
5x300
5x350
5x390
Band pul aparts
5x20
Axle shrugs agains tbands
65 against short average bands, drop immediately to 35 against light bands
Buffalo bar squat
50x230lbs
Death
Rebirth
50 dips
25 pushdowns
40 reverse hypers with 50lbs
20 standing ab wheels
Neck harness
Neck Curls
21 GHRs
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
CONDITIONING
10 minutes of the following circuit
1 KB cluster w/45lb bells
1 KB swing w/40kg bell
Each round, add 1 to the cluster and 2 to the swing
Finished 15 swings and rep 5 of 8 of the clusters. Solid finisher.
Notes: I was thinking to myself "I already cleaned every rep off the floor last time: how can I make this week worse?" Doing all the press work in one set was the solution. It also makes this workout SO much faster. It was honestly my legs giving me the most trouble on those vipers, which had me concerned come time for the widowmaker. I told myself the lie that all I needed to do was 40, as that would match my previous PR accomplished at a heavier bodyweight. Had to sail through the first 30 to give myself a chance, and once I was there I knew I wasn't going to be satisfied with 40.
This was the first tim I legit felt like I was going to vomit from straight bar squats. The SSB has done that to me before, but not the buffalo bar. Whereas last week I was upset because I knew I had more reps in me, this week I'm content. Yeah, I probably could have kept going...but I didn't need to.
Holy F**K this workout is anabolic. Go do you 50 log vipers and 50 squats and a bunch of junk in between. That conditioning circuit at the end was pretty dandy too.
We took some family Christmas photos yesterday and I hit a new physique milestone: I looked jacked in an oversized Christmas sweater. 'tis the season for weight gain: I could not have timed it better. Thanksgiving coming up on Thurs and I'm amped.
Doing so much cooking in my ninja. Had a salmon wrap today that was amazing. When I get more downtime I want to lay out my eating strategy for gaining, but I just keep adding more stuff to my meals that are SO easy to take away when the time comes.
I'm feeling the Super Squats bug...And then I realized I squatted 230 for 50 reps and I wonder what kind of absolutely stupid weight I'd need to use for that program...
