Alex_uk: 40 years in the making

Training Training Logs
3130

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Guess which program I’m running!

Waited for a couple of months of consistent training before posting back here, too much respect for his community to be “starting again” multiple times a year which started to be my pattern, but I’m back and now focused on building my mind, because that’s what’s holding me back, allowing me to slack off, to be lazy, to make excuses, to take the easy way, the results are self evident.

I came across the phrase callousing the mind and it’s really struck a chord with me, intentionally toughening yourself mentally. Pretty much what pwn and Chong have been saying for a long time (I’m a slow learner). I hate running and early mornings with a passion so ran to my 630am prayer meeting this week, then ran to the shops and ran home with some shopping (3.5 miles total), other things like cold showering every shower, and program/exercise choices, and some things related to work, choosing things I dislike, choosing discomfort choosing suffering to grow not just physically but mentally.

Anyway first post, probably won’t have time to post quite as much as I used to or keep up with journals in the same way, but I really do value this community.

8 Likes
3131

You back!

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3132

Excuse me, good sir. You can’t just disappear for 10 months and then out of no where jump back in and present your shiny new program. That’s not how it works here.

Lol kidding aside, glad to see you back!

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3133

@anna_5588 I am!

@whang Haha, I thought the sweat marks would be enough to give it away, nothing new, a return to dark horse.

Yesterday:

DH week 5 day 3, deads 5 reps

Conditioning: even min/odd min: chin/pull up varieties - dips, 10 mins: 8 chins/12 dips each round.

Giant set 1:
KB swing: 24kg X 3 X 4 sets
Paused deads: 60, 100, 120, 140 X 5
Lying leg raise: 5 X 4 sets
Banded (red) jumping jacks: 12 X 4 sets

Gs2:
As above with:
Paused deads: 112.5kg X 10 X 3 sets

Bumped speed work to today because of time restraints.

Today: got just over 5.5 hours sleep, baby woke me up, got him fed, changed and back to sleep - it was raining, I’m tired and my calves are still crippled from Thursday’s run… So running it is, 1.7 miles 18 mins - picked the route with the biggest hill in my local area, disgusting, ran straight into the garage counting the run as my 10 mins of hard conditioning then into:

DH week 5 day 4 ohp 3 reps

Gs1
Wide grip pull up: 10kg X 5 X 5 sets
Axle ohp: 28, 38, 48, 58 X 3, 70 X 1, 65 X 2
Ab roll: 6 X 5 sets
Sand bag over shoulder: 50kg X 4 X 5 sets

Gs2:
As above but
Axle ohp: 53 X 10, 8, 8

Speed work:
Box squat 60kg & black bands super set bench 60kg red bands, 3 reps of each emom for 10 mins.

Some notes: today everything was done fasted, and early, more stuff I dislike, perfect, left elbow is a little cranky, can’t tell what that is, lots of chin ups recently, jarred it deadlifting, bad form on sandbags (realised part way through I was throwing mostly from my elbows like an awkward angry curl, doing I’ve motion, so switched to briefly pausing at hips and using explosive hip drive to get it over) probably all of the above and more. I no longer sumo deadlift, all conventional, or variations of.

7 Likes
3134

Hey dude. Long time no see.

3135

Hey Carl, yup getting my house back in order! How’s life with you? Looks like you had a break from lifting for a while as well?

3136

Damn he is alive. Hope you good mate.

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@simo74 hey Simo, yea really good thanks, how’s life with you? Still winning at the game of consistency and effort by the look of your other log!

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Pager went off at 0430 giving me just over 4 hours of sleep, back home by 0530, one cup of coffee then into the suck:

Running - went for a slightly less severe but significantly longer hill today 1.78 miles in 20 mins, that was a slog, just putting one foot in front of another at a pace faster than walking was the goal also put SBD sleeves on knowing I’d squat afterwards and never get the on safety a run, left one too low on the calf, like bfr running, not fun at all.

Ran into the garage and did:

W6: day 1 squats singles.

Gs1:
KBS: 24kg X 3 X 6 sets
Squat: 60, 80, 100, 120, 140, 155 x1
Ab rolls: 6 X 6 sets
Burpees: 6 X 6 sets

Gs2:
As above but
Squats: 125kg X 8, 5, 5

D/E & accessories (combined for time)
Deads: 70kg + red bands X 3 X 10 sets (emom)
S/s: fat grip hammer curls: 10kg x 6 X 10 sets

Fasted and in the morning all things I dislike, excellent.

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3139

Yer mate, so much consistency i filled up and entire log. :joy:

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Excellent.

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3141

Appreciate the nod dude.

The best thing about starting your day with the worst part is that it’s all better from there. It’s honestly the ultimate control you’ll have in your life. YOU decide where the bad part of your day is!

Good to see you back. You’re always a positive force.

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3142

Haha so true - I’ve been too busy trying to avoid any bad part of my day; and getting soft and weak!

I was just saying in Carl’s journal, even the “bad” parts of the day are just things that I hate doing, the reality is that this “suffering” is laughably easy; do something physical for 1 hour in a 24 hour day, that will make you stronger, feel better look better, more attractive more resilient, increase your lifespan and healthspan, 1 hour of minor discomfort and hard effort, but the mind is so good at convincing us that it’s “hard” and we just love to listen to the rationale when it means taking the easy route. Just need to toughen up and stop making excuses, pleased to say I’ve been doing that and am determined to continue doing!

Thanks pwn, that means a lot coming, from you as someone who gives so much to this community!

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3143

Non DH day but something has to suck!

Wg pullups X 10
S/s
Reverse lunge 16kg KB (goblet hold) X 10

5 times through, I hate single leg work, it’s awkward and makes me blow hard, excellent.

Short sharp suck.

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3144

Good to see you back bro

Let’s ‘ave it

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3145

Amen to that!

Been seeing you pop up on my YouTube regularly, looks like your doing fantastic, giving it your all as always!

Today; 5.5 hours sleep, baby wake up 2 hours before the alarm, excellent;

Dark horse week 6 day 2

Conditioning
Even/odd mins, 10 min:

Sandbag over shoulder 50kg X 5
KBS: 24kg x 10

Gs1:
BB row: 60x5, 70 X 5 X 4 sets
Axle bench: 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 x 5
Lying leg raise: 5 X 5 sets
KBS: 24kg X 8 x 5 sets

Lower back and elbow moaning so switched out a few things:

Gs2
Lat pulldown: 80kg X 10 X 3 sets
Axle bench: 80kg X 10 X 3 sets
Purple band, crunches: 10 X 3 sets
Jumping jacks: 30 secs x 3 sets

D/E:
Ohp: 30kg + red bands X 3 X 10 sets
Done ETSOTS

In and done almost exactly an hour and no one is even awake in my house (baby went back to sleep fortunately), great to get it done, get it out of the way for the day, add some extra challenges (fasted & early morning, I was hilariously slow and stiff at the beginning of the conditioning, got more explosive part way through) and start the day having already won.

On the negative, pull-ups are definitely annoying my elbow, yesterday told me that, not quite sure what to do here, I view pull-ups to be foundational to being a better human physically so they need to stay, I also view working elbows as fairly important to that, suggestions welcome, up for most things.
.

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3146

The elbow thing bothers most of us.
I did a couple light sets of curls after every lifting session for a while, and i think it helped a bit.

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3147

Thanks, I remember someone on here previously recommending fat grip hammer curls for elbows, so that fits the curls bill, will give that a try. Assuming you are just after a pump to get blood in the area?

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3148

I don’t think you even need a pump, just floss the tendon thru full rom.
Pump won’t hurt and is probably better.

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3149

Dave Tate has brought this up, but everyone goes for the HAMMER curl, and that’s honestly making things worse. We have the elbow pain BECAUSE it hurts us to turn the palm over BECAUSE our shoulders are so jacked up from too much pressing and not enough pulling. The curl is our opportunity to finally address that. I’d go with a traditional palm up curl. If an axle is available, even better. It’s why I like Poundstone curls.

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