9/2: Push
Push down: 2 sets
Gironda press: rest-pause
Alternating DB upright row: 2 sets
Leg extension: 1 heavish set of 10 as a primer for…
Bulgarians: work up in triples to 80 lb DB.
*Goal is Power vs hypertrophy
Notes:
Basically spent 8-10 hours daily working on fencing project for the long weekend. We took 9/1 off for recovery.
Interestingly, my wife said now prefers EOD. She was more stiff with the extra day off.
Forgot calves. Again. Will do a special session tonight.
9/4: Pull aka the most ass dragging day ever
Wide grip weighted pullups: 4 working sets stopping shy of failure
Single arm dumbell curl: 3 working sets: top end + 2 progressively lighter sets
Incline hammer curl: 1 set to concentric failure
Bench snatch grip pull: worked up to a top set of 5
Wrist curls: top set+secondary
*Single leg bodyweight calf raises between sets
Note:
Decent session but something has to give. Relatively slow, short work week and I feel like I’ve worked 60+ grueling hours. Labwork early next week to check ferritin and CBC.
9/6: Push
Kneeling cable lateral: top end plus two progressively lighter sets.
*These just hit the spot. Awesome stretch at the bottom.
EZ bar upright row: pump and burn set. *Who knows how many reps.
EZ bar skull crusher/JM/close grip press combo: same as above
Leg extension: same as above-above
“Reaching” slight decline dumbell fly thingy: 3 sets, waving weight up then down.
*I can get these to engage my clavicular pec like nothing else. Cool.
The stretch and focus on reversing the movement with upper pec, serratus, all that stuff? Just felt good in all the TIGHT places.
Calf raises: multiple bodyweight sets with same theme as everything else.
Note:
Spent all morning setting up media blaster for a gunsmithing project (1911) and getting those parts cleaned up.
This has been a multi year project in my spare time. I was disgusted with my second lemon Kimber 1911 so instead of off loading it, I took it down to just slide/frame and rebuilt it with aftermarket parts made from barstock.
This was my first extensive foray into 1911 gunsmithing. It took time but I meticulously hand mated every part to both my liking and functionality. The trigger break is beautiful.
It’s a 4 inch barrel stainless steel heavy duty model 1911 chambered for .38 Super.
It will now be chambering 9x23 Winchester which matches the OG .357 magnum ballistics out of a 4 inch barrel. Or even exceeds. I’m done with 9x19 Luger.
My other 1911 is in 10mm. I regret selling my .45 ACP to this day.
Long story, just didn’t have it in me for heavier stuff today. The “stretch and pump” concept goes a long way sometimes vs grinding. Like I used to.
Still got good stimulus and my joints and psyche thank me as well.
9/8: Pull
I’m logging this as planned to distract myself. My son was hit by a drunk driver tonight and is hospitalized with pelvic, femur,cand lower leg fractures. We’re waiting in the ICU.
Barbell curl: 2 sets
Single arm DB incline curl: only needed one
Seated cable row: 2 sets
Hamstring curl: cluster sets
Romanian: 2 sets
Standing wrist curl: 2 sets
Seated calf raise: multiple sets
Sorry to hear about this, and best wishes for a full and speedy recovery
Thank you. Heading into Day 2 with lots of surgery behind us today and , thankfully, medical stability. One day at a time…
9/10: Push
Day 2 with zero sleep. My boy just came out of another major operation. His bio mom came to take the next shift while my wife dragged me home for a shower. Got in a quick session just to work off the nerves.
Basically another pump and stretch session. Felt good after sitting in an old recliner in his ICU room round the clock.
Back at the hospital. He looks better. Multiple organ displacement from the collision was corrected. Started off as a hemothorax that became suspicious after an overnight. Exploratory surgery obviously revealed the rest.
I’m so sorry to hear this and glad to hear that he’s looking better. Please keep us posted. Sending lots of prayers and a great big hug!
12/20:
3.5 months in to my son’s recovery after he was T-boned by drunk driver going high rate of speed. He spent 1 month in the hospital and outpatient life is appointments all week.
He suffered: a severely fractured pelvis, broken femur, tibia, fibula. Multiple ribs broken, collapsed lung with hemothorax. Open abdominal surgery to move his organs back in place. Skull fracture and tendon/ligament injuries to his neck requiring a neck brace this past 3 months.
He was released from wheelchair/walker AND neck brace this week. The orthopedic surgeon was in disbelief at his recovery thus far.
Almost every tooth in his head is broke or missing. Long process to get all that repaired.
The hard part is the mental recovery.
I never stopped training. Any spare moment, I got in a strong focused short session.
No use to my kid if I falter in my own health and he’s been medically stable so we’re in a rhythmn of his mom and I (we aren’t together) trading off appointment days, trying to work in between.
I had my gallbladder out in-between. Goofy before/after I sent to my family joking “I’ve been training for this!”. I’m a dad. Forgive the lame humor.
12/21: Philosophy of Current Training
I don’t document rationale in my handwritten training logs, but I’m doing it here for my own reflection. Its fun to find the fun in training even during hard times.
Currently using an evolving Torso/Limbs split 3x/week. I’ve used Push/Pull for almost a decade or full body. At least since I stopped competing all together.
This was merely to try something different and I do need focus on my limbs, ha!
Limbs day for arms varies only based on A) Energy and recovery and B) What movements feel good that very day.
I may do 2 movements each for biceps and triceps. Or just 1 each. Sets/reps are most often: top end plus back off or DC rest-pause. Myo rep sets sneak in if I’m sore or pressed for time.
The lower body is evolving. I may do a very "bodybuilding " session of leg extension, hamstring curl, belt squat, stiff legged/Romanian. Often just one of each.
If my old age, I’m thinking I need to regain the springy athletic nature if my lower extremities so a session could be more explosive: Bulgarians, pulls, kettlebell swings, etc. More "athletic " movements.
It all depends on these cranky ass knees.
Torso is following the same evolution but has become another “fun” opportunity to get "same but different ".
Example, I was feeling pretty froggy last week so I stuck with big basic moves.
Started with Farmer walks working up to 130 lbs per hand, no straps, for 45-60 second walks/set. That hit some torso good.
Next was seated dumbbell overhead press. I’m getting close to outgrowing the pair of 80’s dammit. I weighed 170 lbs this morning so I guess that’s ok/good (?).
Then, 150 lb sandbag row/good morning/carry for reps: bend over in stiff legged deadlift style. Row bag to chest, stand up with bag crushed to chest, walk around, set it down, rinse, repeat.
Close grip bench followed. Then weighted wide grip pullups. Then weighted dips. Done.
Last night was the opposite: upright rows, Gironda press, weighted pullups, and incline laterals. Too tired, sore, and worn out. BUT, I PR’d on the cable upright row. AND the other moves got me a sweet pump.
I am EXHAUSTED by the end of the week lately so this flexible "same but different " idea of hypertrophy and strength/explosive/athletic training mixing together based on all if the above factors…I’m digging it.
NOT obsessing about OCD programming, reps, sets, blah. Wasted mental energy.
To boot, I’ve been beating the log box on almost every key indicator lift WHILE maintaining a leaner physique.
So I do aim for beating the log book on key lifts MOST days. Those blah days are accepted and treated as an opportunity to get a pump or just get the work in. This is life in general. I no longer will sacrifice joints or form just in the name of putting a number down on paper.
I’m still only on TRT: 100 mg test cypionate weekly (total).
And still 44 years old. For 6 more months😆
1/2/26: Limbs + extra delt
EZ bar curl: heavy top set of 3 hoping to go up in reps, but matched last week so on to a perfect back off set of 10 reps
JM press: DC rest-pause set
Single arm seated DB curl: 1 set of 10
Rolling DB triceps extension: 1 set of 15
Leg extension: 1x20, jump in weight for myo rep set
Hamstring curl: 1 all out set. Failure with plantar flexion then dorsiflexion.
Incline lateral: 2 sets to pump
Calf raise: 1 huge rest-pause set, weight jump for long stretches with lengthened partials.
Delt sweeps: 1 set each with 35 and 25 lb plates.
Done.
1/3/26: Torso
Wide grip weighted pull up: 1x8-PR for weight+reps
Dips: 1x5, 50% weight drop x10
Low Incline DB Row, unilateral: 1x12
Face pull: 1 x reps
Medium grip bench: 1x7
Sandbag row/GM thing: 3 sets
Notes:
This was an intentional lower effort day with low volume, no hard failure points.
“Torso” day is turning into a flexible full bodyish day. I’m enjoying the "same but different " quality. Working sandbags, farmers, and zerchers back in.
“Limbs” day is turning into a bodybuilderish day with arm, calf focus.
Legs the same. My homemade belt squat platform is functional enough to allow enough to get an awesome quad pump with a deep squat.
This is important for me. I try and try with Bulgarians, reverse lunges but nothing gets my legs going like squats under enough load. Leg extensions are a compromise when the joints are just too bad.
I’ve taken to adding in some extra delt work mainly because I enjoy training them and its also hard to dig a deep enough training hole to warrant multiple days off. And/or they recover quickly.
1/4/26: Spouse prompted extra
Alternate: 50 lb sandbag squat to bench with 80 lb DB farmer walk
*The wife and I traded off between implements, her dropping the DB weight down for farmer’s. We pretty much went a minute each continuous, rested until our breathing was fairly even, traded off.
2 rounds for that then she uttered a statement that inspires me: “I WANT to do more Bulgarians”. 
but also 
I opted for all kinds of overhead, supine, pullover stuff with the 50 lb bag just to stretch and pump.
20 minutes and done.
1/10:
Zercher: work up to 5RM. Pause in the hole/rep
Oingy-Boingy (chaos) military press: work up to 135 x2.5 reps, second attempt 1.5 reps
*This was fun. I haven’t barbell military pressed in over 5 years nevermind with the dangly weights other than the lighter snatch grip behind the neck version.
Bodyweight steady at 170 lbs so bodyweight overhead is piece of cake with straight weight. I’ll get there shortly with oingy boingy style.
Wide grip weighted pullups: 3 sets. Weight drop/set
Weighted chest dip alternating with calves: 2 sets each
Sandbag row to good morning: 150 lbs x2 sets for reps.
More than I expected but not all what I wanted. Such is life.
1/14: Torso
Cable upright: 1 set of 10=rep PR
Coan row: sets of 6 starting at 160 lbs to 230 lbs
*Where has this variation been my whole life?! This is possibly one-of-a-kind.
Chaos Klokov (sp?) Press: only dangled 10-lb plates=65 lbs total. Hit 20 reps continuous then myo-matched to 40 total reps
Farmer walks: 100 lb/hand. 3 sets of 60 seconds then power shrugs after last set
Calves: just dangled 90 lbs of plates and let them have it: rest-pause, deep stretches, top end pump, bottom end pump (heh!) until toasted. Nicely toasted.
Low incline DB pullover: started at 30 lbs, worked up to 80 lbs.
*No counting of reps, just cranking out reps until my entire upper body was pumped.
I’ll steal a line from Eric Budenhagen(sp?) because Torso day has become "Horse Cocking ".
Note to self:
The Coan row, if done as the man himself describes, is shockingly similar to the transitional phase past the knee in Olympic lifting.
After watching an old video of Ed coaching Mark Bell on this variation, I knew this was going to be a banger. For me.
I found the groove immediately and the overall hamstring, erector, lat, upper back involvement I felt just scratched allll kinds of itches.
Plan moving forward: horse cock some Coan rows once weekly and keep piling on plates. See where we go.
Separate “Limbs” day continues to be another excellent move. For me. Won’t fix what ain’t broke on that day.
1/17: Limbs
BB curl: top end + secondary set
Close grip “2 board” press: same as above
*Plopped the wifes 50 lb sandbag on my chest to simulate boards without an assistant.
Incline hammer curl: same as above
Triceps pushdown: 1 set to rep max. Probably 12.
Calves: 1 set of many
Leg extension: 1 set of myo-many or clusters
Note:
Off/blah day. I anticipated this for myself. Last session was a banger. The wife wasn’t feeling well so she stopped before she really got going.
Things haven’t been going well with my son post accident so stress x10 doesn’t help on a bleak, drab winter day, to boot.
But overall, got decent work done. Just kept plodding ahead. Weights were sub-par but within acceptable limits. Nothing saying lack of recovery, more just systemic stress on all levels of existence.
Would say “drive” not physical capability is the main culprit.
Really need to walk more. More for mental health than anything.
1/19: Torso
Not much to record. Played around with chaos OHP, working up to top end of 6 then wrapoed up with delt sweeps (45, 35, 25 lb plate. Drop set)
1 set weighted wide grip pullups: rep PR with weight.
Sandbag row to good morning: 1 set max reps, 150 lb bag
I think I did one more thing…meh. Off day. The stress of how end of last week ended just dogged me the 3 day weekend. That deep existential kind of stress.
Plus, that one session of "horse cocking " did my recovery in😆
