Training Log: Entry 2992

Another weekend.

Slept hard until about 0630.  The virus had a minor relapse yesterday and I was OUT.  Upon waking, got in 200 squats and 200 push ups using a Tabata protocol.

Fantastic breakfast made by my Valkyrie

2 mile weighted vest walk w/50lb vest with my kiddo and doggo

Chores, picked up some Panda Express for lunch.  Made rice out of egg whites

And into a rice bowl with the grilled teriyaki chicken

1 hour Podcast w/ Lee Hazard.  Went amazing well.  I'm excited for the release

20 minute workout: Viking thruster w/90lbs, then 3 burpee chins.  Add a thruster each round. Got through 14 rounds

Originally wanted to break out the smoker, but you can hear in the video the thunder storms that hit us, so instead my kid and I watched the history of KFC and Erik the Electric eat the entire KFC menu while we whipped up our own KFC knockoff to make the Colonel proud.  REALLY wish I had a bucket for it

Tested out my meatsaw and vacuum sealer: my life has changed.  Not pictured are the thick sirloin steaks I cut up out of a roast.  A hand meat saw is a workout in and of itself!  My shoulders were on fire.

And my new ring and wallet finally arrived...I am SUCH a fan of that wallet

Brunch tomorrow.  Non-rampage, carnivore.  Rampage will be on the 4th.  No better way to celebrate my country.

 Training Log: Entry 2991

AM WORKOUT (0505 wake up via spouse’s alarm) FASTED

**PLAGUE OF STRENGTH’S “FAMINE”: RAGNAROK IS HERE** Week 2, Workout 3 (Final for Now) Squats

8 rounds EMOM of

* Odd minute: 4x225 SSB Front squats
* Even minute: 4x225 SSB squats
* Immediately afterward: 28x115 SSB front squats into 16x225 SSB squats

Die in battle

Get carried away by Valkryies to Valhalla

5 standing ab wheels

BREAKFAST

2 mile walk in the rain

Notes:

* Woke up exhausted.  Massive thunder and lightning storms through the night with the doggo in the bed meant very little sleep, which, combined with all the coughing I’m still doing, meant a rough evening. I’m also just plain dog-ass tired, to quote Ken Shamrock, after hitting 2 weeks of Famine.  The system works: I am anatomy chart lean again and the lowest bodyweight I’ve seen in a LOOOOOOONG time.  I am SO primed to grow.  In turn, this was all I had in me this morning, so I gave it everything.  You’ll see when I upload how I left nothing behind.  I am so ready to get after some mass.

* Listening to Dan John’s latest podcast on my way to work and, honestly, my Easy Strength/MMS smash-up sounds 100% in line with his intent.  Use ES to build strength, and the rest of your time to build whatever else needs building.  

* Despite everything, my mental state could not be better.  I am legit just so f**king happy and excited about so much, and especially so now that the food floodgates are open.  I got SO much to cook and eat ahead of me, and so much living to do.

* Oh yeah, forgot: got in an extra 2.5 mile walk with the wife and kiddo out in the sun yesterday, which helped overcome the awful morning walk.

 Training Log: Entry 2990

AM WORKOUT (0420 wake up via alarm) FASTED

**PLAGUE OF STRENGTH’S “FAMINE”: RAGNAROK IS HERE** Week 2, Day 2: Circuit Workout/Dealer’s Choice

40 minutes of 5 burpee chins EMOM w/10lb weighted vest followed immediately by Tabata unweighted burpee chins (3 per round)

Breakfast

2 mile walk in a torrential downpour/thunderstorm with hail

Notes:

* Got to be late last night and this sounded like the right way forward as a result. Something straight forward, brutal, with few moving parts.  The AK-47 of workouts.  And it killed me dead just like an AK. 

* You can see/hear me still dealing with that cough.  Been the worst part of this virus.  I had to sit out a piece of Tang Soo Do last night because, by the end of the day, I’m so nauseas from ingesting so much phlegm through the day.

* Tried my best to execute rep quality with each individual component of the burpee.  A good squat, a strong push up, and chin over the bar on the chin.  

* The follow on unweighted workout was a good cherry on top.  Go from solid and strong to ballistic.  

* I didn’t intend on going for a walk in a storm this morning.  It started off with light rain, but at the 1 mile mark it totally turned on me, and at that point my only option was to just endure and get home.  It was just a Viking kind of day at that point.  I have breakfast for dinner to look forward to tonight, which will make it all worth it.  Also, I think I had the most brilliant idea of having a quiche for my birthday cake this year.  You can still put candles in a quiche.  I REALLY like this idea.

* Saw 168.6 this morning.  This is just nutty. Tomorrow marks 2 weeks of Famine, and it’s absolutely time to start feasting.  My Easy Strength and Mass Made Simple combo should be perfect, especially since I can see my schedule is already getting screwy.  Fully intend to keep up the carnivore approach for this, so this means it’s time to really break out my inner-Conan.  Meat off the bone as much as I can, and steaks and steaks and steaks.  I’ve got a freezer full of ribs, steaks, pork shoulder, lamb, etc.  Game, f**king, on.

Dinner could not have been more anabolic or amazing

 Training Log: Entry 2989

AM WORKOUT (0423 natural wake up) FASTED

**PLAGUE OF STRENGTH’S “FAMINE”: RAGNAROK IS HERE VARIANT** Week 2, Day 1: Press

AS A CIRCUIT (Press-dip-incline-viking-abs)

Keg clean and press away
1x185
2x2x185
2 cleans of 185, 1 shaky near press

Dips
4x3x130lbs

Incline Axle Bench
6xAMRAP (first 3 sets using doubled minibands w/83lbs, next 3 w/66lbs)

Viking press
4x12x70lbs
2x12+triple dropset

Hanging leg raise
5xAMRAP

15 minutes of arms (bands only)

BREAKFAST

2 mile walk outside

Notes:

* Set my alarm incorrectly so slept in an extra 3 minutes.  Robbed me of some conditioning time at the end of the workout, so I’ll find a place to get in some squats and push ups.  May be doing Tang Soo Do tonight, which has some opportunities.

* It dawned on me on my final set of keg pressing that, with my awareness of my current bodyweight, this keg is rather significantly MORE than my bodyweight.  And then I biffed the press that I had been crushing up until that point.  Teaches me not to think too much.  But also take some pride in my performance up until then.  I’ve been losing too much energy on the clean, and it gets me blacking out too often.  If I can get it done snappy and sharp, I’m in a good way.

* I was exhausted with each round, but performance was stronger than previous week.  Still hacking up nasty stuff out of my lungs, which is the biggest factor.  It’s made sleep a little rough, and a fit can hit in the middle of a set.

* Better incline set-up this week compared to last.  Doubling the bands is the way.  Also liked using the bands on the arm work.  Particularly liked the curl variants where I had the band around my wrists vs in the hands.  Considering calling them “Conan curls”, as it’s like having the hands cuffed, and Conan’s time in slavery is when he built his strength.  Definitely leading toward a Cimmerian themed story for my next run.

* Right foot and abs are still a little tender.

 Training Log: Entry 2988

AM WORKOUT (0415 wake up via dog) FASTED

**PLAGUE OF STRENGTH’S “FAMINE”: “RAGNAROK IS HERE”** Week 1, Day 5: Rows and Squats

GIANT SET (row-squat-row-abs) 60 second rest between rounds.

Trap bar row
4x5x265

SSB wide hands squat to straps (beltless)
6x4x225+chains

Seated band row
4x20xLight
2x20 w/triple dropset

Hanging leg raise
5xAMRAP

20 rounds EMOM of 5 burpee chins w/10lb vest

100 calf-raises w/SSB

BREAKFAST

2 mile walk outside

Notes:

* Saw this this morning

* So with that bodyweight weigh in and all the hacking you can hear during the workout, I’m beginning to understand why my strength isn’t QUITE what it used to be.  Honestly, that’s just absolutely nuts.  I haven’t seen that number since high school.  And you saw what I ate on Sunday.  I’m eating like a goddamn king and my weight is just flying down.  Mass Made Simple is sounding more and more appealing.

* I REALLY liked that squat variant.  I’ve seen Brian Alsruhe do it quite a few times, and it seemed absolutely perfect for something different to force me out of my comfort zone.  Going beltless even moreso.  I could really feel my quads “turn on” coming out of the hole.  I definitely see potential in this.

* Violated the program and instead of doing 20 minutes of straight chins I went with the burpee chins, and then threw on the vest to make it seem ok.  I also went with strict technique as much as I could.  That was surprisingly awesome.  5 reps per round hit just right.  And I’m willing to count this toward conditioning and daily reqs.

* Right foot is experiencing a small amount of discomfort in it.  Possibly a product of the bearfoot shoes.

* My abs have been super sore since that bodyweight circuit.  I imagine throwing the ab wheel in was part of it.  Good to have that back.

PM 

Got in a 3ish mile walk with the kiddo and the remainder of my bodyweight work.   My piedmontese order came in, which is awesome, because I am planning on turning the 4th into an ultimate feast and celebration of my country's Independence.  And the 2nd of July is always significant to me, because it was that day when I was 14 that I decided to turn my life around physically.  23 years later and I'm still at it.

Tonight was pretty baller for dinner.  I made Paleo Sloppy Joes, and they were very close to pure carnivore as well.

Training Log: Entry 2987

AM WORKOUT (0415 natural wake up) FASTED

**PLAGUE OF STRENGTH’S “FAMINE”: “RAGNAROK IS HERE** Week 1, Workout 4: Bench

GIANT SET (bench-press-abs-curls) 60 second rests between sets

Axle Incline Bench
5x135+Chains
2x4x135+Chains
1x4x135+chains w/burnout set w/o chains

Trap bar press
6xAMRAPx85-95lbs w/2second lockout

Hanging leg raise
5xAMRAP

FG DB concentration curl
5x20x10lbs

20 minutes of dips w/Tabata timing

333 total

OFF CAMERA

2 minutes of BW squats (153 total)

BREAKFAST

2 mile walk outside

Notes:

* I’m still not 100%, which reflects in performance here, but I’m in a much better way than I’ve been.  This was a good start to the week: something not terribly strenuous but allows me to push myself.  Plus it’s Monday: international bench press day.

* I’m switching up movements a bunch this run because my body is in a weird place and this is keeping me from trying to compare old and new numbers.  Learned that trick decades ago from Dave Tate and it is still so valuable.

* I have always been awful at incline, so it’s good to emphasize it for a bit.  And since it beats up my shoulders, making the rest of my pressing NG seems smart.  Chains added a nice variable.  

* Time was tight at the end, so just slammed some squats to get ahead of that number.   I’ll work some more later today.  

* Been meaning to log this for a while, but one of the benefits of my “To Valhalla” run is that gravitating toward my strengths and away from my weaknesses really helped me heal.  My right knee FINALLY feels better after Super Squats.  It’s been making all these bodyweight squats and full ROM work so much more manageable.  Wondering if all the time in the bearfoot shoes is helping too.

* Physique has returned to something more recognizable since my illness.  It’s wild how sickness now has a severe physical manifestation in me.

Got in 2+ more mile walk with the kiddo and all the required bodyweight work in the PM

 Training Log: Entry 2986

Typical weekend update.  Slept until 0730, got up and hit 200 push ups and 100 squats fasted, had a fantastic breakfast

Went shopping, got to Trader Joes.  Folks: cheese is back on the menu!

I am so excited to try out all those different kinds of goat cheese.  The Brie and Cheddar snacks are for the Mrs.  I also picked up some outstanding bacon WITHOUT GODDAMN SUGAR (man that's hard to find).

Went to Panda Express for lunch.  Got my large entre of chicken teriyaki. 

My guts have been upset for a while, which I attribute to a Mexican place I was at yesterday for a very disappointing lunch.   Ordered 2 entrees off the lunch menu, carnivored them by having all the veggies put to the side, and in doing so got to see just how little meat was actually in the dish.  Chorizo con huevos and a fajita taco salad of steak and chicken, and I get the impression the chicken was undercooked, because the steak itself was pretty rare.  Was feeling pretty loogie as a result, and thought to try out my new rower, but genuinely couldn't figure out how to set up the damn thing, so I just went with Jamie Lewis' recommendation in Famine of a 30 minute bodyweight circuit

I think that move I came up with at the end is more fitting of the title "Burpserker".  Burpee into a full squat into a chin into a hanging leg raise.  The leg raise is a LITTLE iffy: might be more streamlined to do knees to chest or even a windshield wiper so that I don't need to spend so much time stabilizing.  But, no joke, I made just do a half hour of that next time.

Felt much better after that.  Breaking a sweat seems to help.  I'm FINALLY shedding the water my body was holding onto from that illness I picked up and subsequent meds I went on.  I was thinking I was experiencing some sort of dietary misstep, but I'm thinking now I can simply visibly trace the difference between a body thriving and a body surviving.  Something Jon Andersen spoke of.

Just placed a piedmontese order, because I'm on their mailing list and they enticed me with a deal on some ribeyes.  

I highlighted the part I'm most excited about.  Oh my goodness: legit dino ribs

I've seen how things things can turn out

This is me reclaiming my barbarian birthright.

Dinner was not as exciting, but that was in prep for brunch tomorrow.  I had a "deer chop" from a buddy of mine, which I threw on the grill for a quick turn, made into a wrap with some egg whites, and had the remains as a side

I've also been experimenting with Metabolic Drive "ice cream", using shaved ice and salt along with a little beef broth for fluid...it's pretty tasty on hot summer nights.

Weekends for food porn.  Weekdays for hardcore training.  Balance.