Training Log: Entry 3093

AM WORKOUT (0419 natural wake up)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE​​** Week 2, Day 2-Wheel of Pain

40 round EMOM workout

5 prisoner squats and 5 push-ups EMOM

100lb keg one motion overhead and carry between rounds

**10% Corollary​​**

5 rounds of 2-3-5-10 prisoner squats and push-ups
10 standing Wheel of pain
25 Conan Curls
50 pull aparts

Breakfast

Shorter 40lb vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* I like how this turned out.  It's like a Last Castle workout with a buy-in/harmony disrupter.  The squats and push-ups are simply to get in my daily 300, but really anything could fit into there.  Burpees are a pretty obvious choice, but front squats/KB squats would be dandy too.  I like getting up and down off the floor.  On that note: I should seriously consider some turkish get-ups at some point.

* I feel this is pretty close to the Wheel of Pain from Conan: the brutality doesn't ever stop, and there's no purpose to it.  We're not moving the keg to get it to a different spot: it's purely for the sake of misery.  It's pointless brutality.  And there's no way to make it end other than to simply do it until time runs out.  We're not going for rep goals.  Writing this as a story: our Cimmerian is condemened to the Wheel of Pain, but in addition to this punishment he is humiliated by being forced to perform on his master's call.  Similar to Conan fighting in the pits for entertainment, here we perform the prisoner's dance for the amusment of onlookers.  

* Front delts were really making themselves known between those push ups and pressing the keg overhead.  It's sneaky.  I got in 200 reps with the main workout, and finished up with 100 more to get my 300.

* You can tell it's cold since I'm wearing clothes, and, in turn, my walk with the wolf was cut short this morning because of it.  She's an older wolf, still has her dignity, and for that I don't want her to have to shiver and show weakness.  Plus, she'll be out later this evening trick-or-treating, so we'll get in some more steps.

* Light rations are rolling out well.  The famine is in full swing, and may be a short one depending on how effective it is.  Last night I ground up some piedmontese grassfed steak tips to turn into burgers.  They turned out fantastic, and practically zero fat.  Our Cimmerian is becoming lean and sharp, which will prep him for the upcoming war and subsequent feast.

 Training Log: Entry 3092

AM WORKOUT (0425 natural wake up, very good night of sleep)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICILE** Week 2, Day 1

Axle continental and strict press

5x141

5x151

5x156

Between sets: 3x4 chins w/chains

GIANT SETS (press-chin-pull)

Axle clean and strict press away

5x10x108

Chins

5x6

Band pull aparts

5x10

Done w/in 9 minutes

GIANT SETS (press-neck-abs)

Axle clean each rep and strict press

5x5x108

Neck harness

4 sets w/55lbs

Wheel of pain

4x5

10 tree of Woe shrugs

Axle clean and push press away

21 reps w/remaining time (40 minute workout total)

Breathing Squats

20x235 w/pull overs

25 Conan Curls

25 pushdowns

Lateral raises until timer ran out

Breakfast

40lb weight vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Trying a different set-up this week: 4 40 minute workouts and 1 20.  The 20 will roll into a “dealer’s choice” loadout, giving me a chance to get in a few odds and ends.  Adding 5 extra minutes to each of the other workouts allows for just a little touch of extra work.

* Managed to lift more weight this week and get more reps in at the end: total victory.  Chaos is the plan, but I also have a methodology on these set days for progression.  To quote famous 20th century philosopher Henry Hill “Fun within prescribed limits: this is gonna work!”

* Tweaked something in my left trap on the final set of heavy presses.  That’s not the trap that usually gets tweaked, so that’s progress: a new hitch. It’s annoying, but not debilitating.

* Really focusing on trying to move quickly where I can on the movements, not always being super slow twitch.  

* The squats are hitting just about perfect.  It’s weird to me getting the training effect with so little weight.  It sneaks up on me, compared to my low-bar style.  And laying crosswise on the bench for pull overs is opening up a lot more in me.

* Didn’t log anything yesterday, but I did actually train.  I also got in some great night walking, taking my kid to “Boo at the Zoo”, where we logged 10k steps trick-or-treating in some very cold weather and carrying a LOT of candy…and a pumpkin at one point.  Chaos is absolutely the plan.  I’ll link the training video

* Simple 10 minute EMOM where I did rounds of 5 prisoner squats and 5 push ups until the timer went, then 1 SoS to shoulder, then I set a Tabata timer and got 4 burpee chins every 20 seconds and 3 KB throws w/20kg bell.  That was intense.

* Had a very small carb up meal yesterday, and am officially beginning a Famine today, now that the training is sorted and my birthday feast has concluded, and with MANY feasts on the horizon, it seems like a good idea to baseline this with a Famine and bookend it that way as well.  My next cruise is 8 weeks from now, which allows for a 2 week famine, 4 week feast, 2 week famine, then feast on the cruise, reset and re-evaluate.  The Mrs already has another practice Thanksgiving qeued up for Veteran’s Day, so this will work pretty perfectly.

* On all of this, the food relationship continues to improve.  I absolutely enjoyed myself at Texas De Brazil and managed to find that delegate balance between eating to the point of enjoyment vs gorging to the point of physical illness (which boiled down to 90 minutes of putting away SO much meat), and then managed to enjoy a small amount of Birthday Brownies that Mrs made for me.  I didn’t restrict myself out of fear of eating brownies: I was legit just full from my mid-day meal still.  Felt no need to burn all this fuel off with extensive exercise after that fact, and still have my carb up the next day: I simply training as needed and living as much as I can.  Weekends are far more about being active and involved these days vs killer workouts.

* Birthday was fantastic.  Had an amazing breakfast, laser tag, Texas De Brazil for lunch where I ate meat for 90 minutes, and then we watched the DnD movie as a family.

 Training Log: Entry 3091

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Workout 5

Log clean and press away

3x150

3x160

3x170

Superset w/

3x5x115 DB rows

GIANT SET (press-chin-pull)

Log clean and press away

11x3x150

Chins

11x5

Band pull aparts

11x10

Buffalo Bar Breathing Squats w/pullovers

20x230

Poundstone Curls

100xAxle

Breakfast 

Walk w/Wolf

Notes:

* Maybe some more later.  Took the day off work to get some chores knocked out so I could enjoy the weekend, so off I go.  Wanna get in some more walking.

 Training Log: Entry 3090

AM WORKOUT (0420 natural wake up)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 4

40 rounds of 

* EMOM: 5 burpees and 3 Viking Thrusters w/90lbs on the axle

5 rounds of

* EMOM: 10 dips, 10 pull aparts and 2 Wheel of Pain

5 rounds of

* EMOM: 10 push ups, 10 pull apart and 2 Wheel of Pain

25 Conan Curls

BREAKFAST

40lb weighted vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Came up with this when I woke up this morning.  Elements of Kalsu for sure, but lighter load and strict rep count.  This allowed me to also get in a lot of my push ups and squats for the day, which I tend totaled out with that 10 round finisher (I’m counting each burpee as 2 squats, since I squat to get down to the push up and squat again to get up from it).  I was definitely hurting at the end, and was telling myself lies by round 4 to get me through the workout.  

* Been slacking on the story here, but since this is going to be an 8-9 week program run, that would get a bit cumbersome.  

* Weighed in at 172.6 this morning, and I’m carrying the kind of leanness that I’m used to seeing at the 166 mark, so that’s a good sign.  I might actually be putting on some muscle.  Or it could simply be a MASSIVE amount of inflammation that comes after a downweek and then jumping right back into training, as I continue to feel beat to hell.  That steak and eggs last night is sure to help though.  

* That little EMOM finisher at the end was pretty dandy.  Just about perfect 10% corollary at work: getting in some of the neglected stuff.  I’m proud of myself for seeking out direct ab and arm work.  Also happy I could get in the walk this morning: we had thunderstorms in the forecast but thankfully didn’t get rained out.

* I’ve definitely noticed the physique impact from focusing on getting in those 300 push ups and squats a day vs not.  It’s really a missing element there.  If I remain diligent, I get the reward.  Focusing on rep quality has gone a long way as well.

* Been meaning to document this “non-scale victory”, but I FINALLY got rid of all the “Nuts ‘n More” in my house.  I had given away the majority of my un-opened stock, but still had an opened jar in my pantry that I was keeping because I honestly didn’t want to get rid of it, but finally committed myself to the reality that I wasn’t eating that stuff anymore.  For others, it’s a fine product, but I was absolutely abusing it, and tossing it was proof that it no longer had that power over me.  Each trash night I’ve been having little celebrations like that: getting rid of keto treats and frankenfooods and science experiments.  It’s been liberating.

* I forgot the other NSV I meant to share from a few weeks back: I'm wearing a size 30 pant these days.  My 32s were fitting like a circus tent.  I legit don't think I've been that small a waist since 5th grade.

 Training Log: Entry 3089

AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 3

7 rounds in 35 minutes of

* 2-3-5-10 20kg KB clean and press away

Between rounds, some manner of assistance exercise alternating between neck harness, Wheel of Pain, Tree of Woe shrugs, Chins, trap bar rows w/135, reverse hyper w/180, or band pull aparts

20x275 breathing trap bar lifts w/20x20lb pull overs

5 minute lateral raise dropset

Breakfast

40lb weight vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Chaos is the plan!  The original plan for today was taking the log out for triples and 10x5, but I continue waking up feeling like I’ve been beaten with a bat, so I called for an audible and went with something a little lighter.  Along with that, I had a plan to do breathing trap bar lifts, and this allowed for a much smoother transition from the pressing to the trap bar lift, since I could already have it loaded up and in place vs having to fully dismantle the set up and reassemble the log.  

* 2-3-5-10 straight out of the Dan John playbook.  I tried to be a little strategic with the assistance selection, going for longer assistance movements when it was time to recover for the 5s and 10s and shorter ones for the 2s and 3s.  Also tried to pick more “bitter medicine” assistance exercises: all those things I SHOULD be doing that I neglect.  Calf work is about the only missing variable, and maybe I’ll get that in next time.  Also need some direct arm work in there.

* I always wanted to try breathing trap bar lifts, but I’m not really sold on them.  You can see and hear me struggling, but in truth the biggest struggle was the feeling that my right bicep was going to tear at any moment.  I didn’t really get the full body fatigue that is found in the squats.  I’m going to continue with my approach to alternate movements, but I think next round is going to be breathing good mornings (so I’ll do breathing squats Friday, then GMs either Mon or Wed next week).  I can see how the magic circle was advised as an in between.  

* Got a little bit of pain in the left elbow that I need to keep an eye on.  Too early in the training cycle to have consistent elbow pain.  I noticed it at Tang Soo Do last night, which was in turn just an average kind of class, nothing special to report.

PM workout was 15 ladders of prisoner squats and push ups at 2-3-5-10 for a total of 300 for each in 20 minutes.

But the real brag is dinner

T-bone from the family farm, and Mrs perfectly executed the sunny side up eggs.

 Training Log: Entry 3088

AM WORKOUT (0415 natural wake up, 10 minute snooze)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 2

35 rounds of

EMOM: 2 keg one motions w/100lb keg

Between rounds: row

3.5 ladders of prisoner squats and push ups (70 total)

Breakfast

40lb weight vest walk w/wolf

Notes:

* Telling the story here: on the slaver’s ship, we’re rowing until we reach port, unloading the goods, loading the loot, then rowing to the next port.  And the drummer is keeping the beat the whole time.

* First time using my rower.  I got it cheap on Facebook market.  It’s actually a rower and a recumbent bike, which most likely means it’s not good at either one, but it was good enough for today.  Little learning curve on the seat locking in place a few times: I’m sure there is a bypass for that.  Didn’t really go all out on the effort: still breaking back in to training.  Whole body feels like it got beat with a bat from yesterday.  That “softening up” that John McCallum wrote about is for real.

* Was short on time this morning, so didn’t go too crazy beyond this workout, but that’s what makes “Chaos is the Plan” so outstanding: always room for changes, audibles, and playing things by ear.

* It was good weather for breaking out the weight vest on my morning walk.  Nice to get in a little extra conditioning.

* Later today I’ll get in some combat training…Tang Soo Do.  I can still work that into my LARPING.

* Nutrition for the week is in a weird place of post-cruise recovery and pre-birthday prep (I’m turning 38 at the end of this week).  I’ll be hitting up Texas De Brazil and engaging in NEAR full on nutritional debauchery, but since my wife and kid will be joining me I don’t want to spend 2 hours gorging myself to the point that I put the Gluttony guy from Se7en to shame.  But still: I wanna prep my body for maximal enjoyment, and today’s training was outstanding for that, because I’m already hungry.

 Training Log: Entry 3087

AM WORKOUT (0423 natural wake up)

**CHAOS IS THE PLAN: THE CIMMERIAN CHRONICLE** Week 1, Day 1

*35 minutes of pressing something over my head*

Axle continental and strict press away (3 weighted chins between rounds)

5x136

5x146

5x151

Axle clean and strict press away (5 chins and 10 pull aparts between rounds)

5x10x136

Axle clean each rep and strict press (neck work and tree of woe shrugs between rounds)

5x5x136

Axle clean and push press away

18x136

*10% COROLLARY (….VERY liberal 10%)*

20x225 breathing squats w/20 pull overs

5x5 “Wheel of Pain” (ab wheel)

5x10 dips

25 Conan Curls

1 minute of Tree of Woe shrugs

Breakfast

Walk with wolf

Notes:

* Putting my money where my mouth is with the new training block.  I’ve got 9 weeks until I go on another cruise, which is amazing (still planning on doing a post cruise write up as well), and no competition on the horizon (not that I would care anyway) so I figured I’d do a test pilot of “Chaos is the Plan: The Plan”.  I’ve also rediscovered my love for Rob Howard and the Hyborian universe of Conan the Cimmerian, so I’m styling this training block in that manner.  Get ready for some LARPING and self-aggrandizing.  

* I’ve boiled it down that I want to lift 5 days a week, so that allows for 4 35 minute workouts and 1 40 minute.  My rough skeleton of a plan is to have a day where I do 5x10 for supplemental and a day I do 10x3-5, both with a 5/3/1 style opener (so effectively 5/3/1 BBB and 5/3/1 BBS).  That would be Mon-Wed.  Fri I’m thinking making more Deep Water esque and going 10x10 with strict rest times, or perhaps a stupidly heavy day.  On each of those days, I’m going to conclude with some manner of 20 breathing heavy lifts (squat, trap bar or good morning), because I’m not gonna get that Conan build without some hypertrophy.  I’ll flesh out thoughts even more some time in that regard.  Tues and Thurs will be more WOD-esque overhead work.  I’ll be rotating all manner of implements as well.

* Borrowing more from Conan, I finally got my rower figured out, so I’m going to be including that in the training, as per his Grandfather’s time as a slave on a ship, and even Conan himself took to privateering.  I’ll be stealing a lot from “To Valhalla” as well, but as Chaos is the Plan, it’s really more a framework and a concept vs anything solid.  And, if nothing else, I’m excited about this, which is what really matters.

* Since I’m coming back from a solid week of not touching any sort of weights, I did my best not to completely blow my brains out on this one.  I still worked hard, but intentionally cut the weights lighter than I wanted, and still found them more challenging than I wanted as well, so it worked out.

* Dig my reference.  The ab wheel is the Wheel of Pain, hanging from the bar for lat shrugs is the Tree of Woe, I’m walking with wolves instead of my pug: you just gotta really buy in for the results you want.

* I’m keeping up with the beltless training.  I really like the habit it’s built in me.  If I find that I’m limiting myself because of that, I’ll change, because Chaos is the Plan.

* Gonna try my hardest to maintain my 300 push ups and squats per day, but not going to lose sleep if I don’t.