If it’s any consolation: that’s not unique to your body, haha. This is why fighters can have 8-12 week fight camps and show up in the best conditioning of their lives, but no powerlifter/strongman has an 8-12 week comp camp where they go from out of shape to world record ready.
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03oct24
Beltless RDl: 135x6, 225x6, 265x6, 295x6, 335x6, 350x4 (PR, had more, straps were slipping), 275x8, 275x8
Hack Squat: 90x8, 180x8, 180x8
Single leg Hamstring curl: 35x14, 35x11
Belt squat: 90x12, 180x8
Conditioning: 50 min treadmill ruck. 3.5inc, 3.3mph, 30lbs.
Notes:
- RDL moved well. Sweaty, no hurling, grip was failing even with straps. Shame, think I had 6 of 350 in me.
- Still loath the hack squat, this one more than most. Thinking if I want a leg press/hack squat in the home gym, or a belt squat. Played around with the belt squat a bit just to test. I feel like i have a hard time hitting quads with the belt squat, hips really take over. Honestly the leg press always helped my squat more than anything else. Should probably head that route.
- Ruck again feels great and enjoying my TV time
@T3hPwnisher so many things haha. 1, in regard to diet, I totally agree some carbs hit me different. If I were to hazard a guess, I’d say my body really likes fruits and potatoes. Rice digests super well for me, but makes me sleepy. Bread makes me fat. I don’t know why, but it’s true. I haven’t eaten enough pasta to really tell haha, never a staple in my household, though that may change with my wife’s influence. (Side note: she is very good at cooking. Her whole family passes down these amazing Italian recipes with all the works. Homemade pasta, eggplant parm, the works. Does not have a drop of Italian blood in her haha, 100% polish Irish mix.)
2, in regards to our over processed food (also @alex_uk for this), it honestly is mind blowing. I hardly eat processed foods, more so out of convenience than anything. It’s easier to meal prep using Whole Foods (rice and meat) than with processed stuff, so I tend to just do that. I also think that’s part of the reason I react so badly to ship food. I go so long without eating anything like that, my system just gets overwhelmed by all the additives. It’s funny, my grandfather was a farmer. He cooked every meal in grease or lard. Every meal had a big chunk of meat (often venison, turkey, squirrel, or bear, because gramps hunted religiously) or some eggs from the coop out back, some form of potato or bread smothered in butter, and a ton of vegetables from the garden. So that’s 3x a day red meat (well I guess not the turkey, but idk if we ever had chicken in his house), cooked in all sorts of grease/fat, tons of carbs, and then heavily salted vegetables. According to many, this diet should give a heart attack by 50. Well gramps smoked 2 packs a day and still hit 87 before lung cancer took him out. Some of it was his active lifestyle (farmer/outdoorsman active, I don’t think he “worked out” since he shipped to Korea in the 50’s), some of it genetics, but I think there’s something to be said that he ate a standard “American diet” in a lot of respects. Only difference was, it was all real food. Grandma would make a loaf of bread a few times a week, he grew his own vegetables, shot his own meat (which I’m very convinced, despite having no evidence, that game meat is better for you,) raised his own chickens. Only thing he got from the grocery store was flour, milk, cookies for the grandkids and beers for whenever the Cardinals were playing. My dads 71, same genetics, doesn’t smoke, works out daily, and makes an effort to replicate my grandfathers diet, and it’s honestly insane to me how healthy he is doing off of that. I know so many people in that age group who are trapped in failing bodies, just fighting the decline. My old man’s getting worked up because he’s trying to get into the next league of his tennis bracket and his coach doesn’t want him on the courts more than 3 hours a day for fear of overuse injury. (Also side note: my old man worked very hard to go from farmer to PHD, and it kind of cracks me up now to see how he is just flourishing in a life of bougie retirement.) I’ve definitely gotten off the main point here, but tying my rant back to the beginning, our food industry in this country is atrocious, and while it is totally possible to eat clean nutritious foods here, you have to make a conscious effort to do so, because the stock grocery shelves aren’t the answer.
3, I forget to give the update, but you were definitely right. Day after carb up, fat and bloated. Two days after? Jacked and Juicy.
4, I am actually really interested in the effects of long term cardio training because, well, I’ve never done it haha. I’ve never truly done a “fight camp,” but in high school we had football over the summer. Conditioning was huge, we got in great shape, then eased off during the season. Still worked out obviously, but the conditioning sessions were background to the actual practice. Then wrestling season, where the same cycle happened, albeit with wrestling practice itself being some pretty fantastic conditioning. College, it was always some 8-16 week prep for whatever screener or event I was doing, then just coasting until the next one. I’ve always been good at going from minimal cardio to fairly in shape in a few months, but I’ve never kept at it or tried to get to the “next level.” With this pivot towards endurance work, it will be a first for me to keep running/rucking/ whatever beyond my x week training program, and I’m interested to see both how I respond to it, and learn how my training will have to adapt to accommodate.
@TrainForPain I do love me some pineapple, maybe that will be a good reintroduction. I haven’t really played around with reintroducing fruits, so I’m not entirely sure which ones I do/don’t respond to. I’ve always eaten a lot of bananas and apples, with never an issue there. Interesting about the blood pressure. I had mine taken today actually, 108/68. For a bigger guy, my blood pressure has always been pretty low, even with salting the hell out of my foods. Can’t say for certain why that is, but it’s true.
Mid day carbs are historically what kill me. My “slump” from 1300-1430 can be pretty killer after a carb heavy meal, leading me to slam caffeine, which I already use too much of. I have noticed that my energy is more stable throughout the day, though I’d say it’s almost like an equivalent average? I never feel quite as energized as I did before, but neither do I feel quite as tired. Which my limited understanding of hormonal response tells me I probably have more stable insulin levels eating that, which is affecting energy. Or I’m full of BS. That is also a distinct possibility.
(For anyone still reading along, first of all why? And secondly, can you tell the deployment boredom is getting to me by my ramblings haha)
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Holy cow what an awesome post. I’ll try to respond to as much as I can. I wish it could just be a conversation, haha.
I am wondering if you have a gluten sensitivity at this point, based off your previous comment about feeling lethargic afterwards and this. Sounds like you’re experiencing inflammation. I’m also excited for your upcoming family meals. That’s the way I like to do a carb up. Junk food will always be there: a homecooked meal from someone that loves you should be cherished.
but I think there’s something to be said that he ate a standard “American diet” in a lot of respects.
That’s actually the rub: that WAS the standard American diet, and we were MUCH healthier when we ate that way. But the current standard American diet is actually PLANT based rather than red meat/animal based, as much as the narrative wants to claim the contrary. Since the 70s, red meat consumption has dropped drastically, while our health has ALSO declined, primarily because we kept trying to get away from those evil heart clogging fats and swapped them with sugar and by extension, corn, because it’s a cheap way to get sugar. Your dad replicating that diet is doing himself a favor. And, of course, I’m just parroting all the carnivore talking points here, but it just plain makes sense to me. We were eating these foods for thousands of years as a species and not suffering near the rate of heart disease that we started experiencing when we tried to “correct” this, and when you look at what Americans are eating, it’s NOT a bunch of red meat and butter: it’s a bunch of shelf stable crap out of a box.
I forget to give the update, but you were definitely right. Day after carb up, fat and bloated. Two days after? Jacked and Juicy.
Isn’t it wild?! Total alchemy. It took me a LONG time to learn to lean into that carb up meal. Because what’s going to happen is, 6 days after the meal, you’re going to look your WORST. Completely flat and washed out. And you’ll think “Holy crap, I better skip the carb up, because I look awful! I need to REALLY tighten up on this diet”, and then it just spirals worse and worse. Instead, you hit the carb up meal and reset the whole process, and in doing so you get a little leaner than last time, because you’re still losing fat. It’s really interesting.
Regarding the long term cardio, I think you’ll find that you end up having “mini-fight camps” with it. Just like periodization in lifting, there is periodization in endurance activities, and you won’t always be in your absolute best shape, but I imagine you’ll get to a point where, on your worst day, you’re better than your previous best.
Which my limited understanding of hormonal response tells me I probably have more stable insulin levels eating that, which is affecting energy. Or I’m full of BS. That is also a distinct possibility.
Nah, this absolutely tracks, and most Americans are in this trap. It’s not the insulin so much as the blood sugar, which is impacted BY insulin but ALSO by glucagon. That’s the primary difference here: protein triggers an insulin spike, but it ALSO triggers a corresponding increase of glucagon, so blood sugar DOESN’T spike and crash. Carbs, by themselves, only elevate the insulin, which spikes blood sugar, triggers a crash, and results in more food seeking. It’s why you can comfortably fast with a protein sparing modified fast, but introducing carbs is “opening the floodgates”
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You are definitely on my short list should I ever start a podcast haha.
Will respond later to all the rest of your latest post!
@throwawayfitness damn man, that was poetic. Seriously, about the best phrasing of why I value these forums so much I’ve ever seen. Appreciate the thoughtful insight there man
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Because you’re awesome. lol
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Because the like button is at the bottom and the parentheses caught my eye lol (jk I enjoy reading your posts)
Edit: Jesus I typed parathesis
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have you tried using the hack squat to do a sissy squat. This was a favorite of Tom Platz, he would sissy squat in the hack squat and then when he got to failure switch to normal hack squat. You will need the weight to be pretty light,
This video is of John meadows doing them,
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04oct24
Bench: 45x15, 135x5, 135x5, 165x3, 185x2, 205x9, 240x2, 170x16, 150x15
Db incline press: 70x8, 60x11
Assisted dip: 120x12, 120x12, 120x12, 120x15
Db fly: 30x12, 25x13, 25x12
Conditioning: 35 min treadmill run: 5.3 mph
Notes:
- another decent bench day. 205x9 moved well, happy with that set. Was hoping for 3 with 240, but honestly the heavy set after the work set just has me fried.
- Accessory work felt fine, shoulders strained a bit with the bottom ROM of dips, but nothing bad.
- Added a little more time to the run. Again trying to just slowly add distance while conditioning the shins.
- Overall, a good workout. Especially considering I did this fasted at 3am local time after sleeping for about 4 hours.
Oh man, lots of replies
@throwawayfitness man that is awesome. They never offered that at my high school, so I can’t say I have much experience with it, but I know a lot of people who i currently serve with who did that back in the day. Do they know what direction they want to go in?
@QuadQueen lol, well between you and my dog that makes two people who think so!
@freshyfresh haha, that may be the most honest answer out there. And I totally feel your pain with the typo. I’ve been published multiple times, but then I look through my log and feel illiterate. In my defense, 99% of my posting is me logging on my cell phone between sets, and I’ve got some fat thumbs.
@simo74 ….those look freaking horrible. I don’t want to even touch them…. Will be trying next week haha
@T3hPwnisher honestly, you may be onto something with the gluten intolerance. Or it could be the type of bread I normally eat, because generally if I do eat bread it’s either rolls at a restaurant or some type of bagel, either way not the best source.
Trust me, i have no mental block about my carb up day haha. Reading online, it seems that a lot of people tend to avoid it, feel like it’s almost cheating on their diet. Couldn’t be me, I have been looking forward to it since my last carb meal haha.
I can definitely see the mini “fight camps” for conditioning. I think my plan is going to be make a baseline that hits/maintains strength and conditioning, and then run programs from there adding workouts to emphasis either endurance or strength goals, depending on what I’m going for.
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Now I know why I like you. You are my kinda crazy.
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Now that’s the realest response out there!
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05oct24
Barbell row: 95x8, 135x8, 185x8, 205x6
Lat pulldown: 190x11 (PR), 160x11, 145x10, 115x14
Cable row: 145x7, 115x10, 115x10
Upright row: 45x20, 65x15, 65x15, 65x15
Barbell curl: 50x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x12, 50x12
Hammer Curl: 30x12, 30x11
Various grip hanging from the Pullup bar
Notes:
- weekly carb up tomorrow, feeling like I need it. Tired today.
- Hit some barbell rows while waiting for the lat pulldown to open up. Pretty happy with how they felt actually. Normally hate these, but I really got a good contraction in my upper back and traps today.
- Lat pulldowns felt good, 190 is heavy enough that it’s trying to pull me out of the seat, which is a good sign. I also don’t understand how I can do 10 pull-ups at 220, but can’t do 220x10 on lat pulldown.
- I’ve struck a deal with upright rows. I agree to only do them by initiating through the elbow, and trying to bring my elbows laterally to my ears, and they agree to not kill my shoulder.
- Curls for the girls.
- Skipped conditioning because all cell phones were secured, and tomorrow is a rest day for me, so I’ll just do it then. Really don’t want to do a long run just listening to the sound of treadmill and starting at the flaking paint of the bulkhead 18 inches in front of me lol.
Other random updates:
- house hunt continues. Found one on Maryland I’m in love with…. By which I mean it has a 28 foot by 24.5 foot two story garage, and I’m already salivating over the home gym possibilities. (My wife has some frivolous notion of parking inside. If she wins on that front, the basements becoming gym part 2)
- Remember how my time on deployment got extended a month? Well that month (theoretically) just got taken away. A few of my bosses fought on my behalf without telling me (I think to not get my hopes up) and essentially won the argument of “idc if you say you are out of money, his contract says he should leave, and we are the government, moneys fake to us anyway.” So, back to the original game plan, and (hopefully) home for the holidays!
- Been brainstorming a fitness related business idea I’ve had in my head for a while, think I may go for it after deployment. I know my real career won’t be in this industry, but I do enjoy it a lot and would like to be able to have my own little mark on it. Still need some number crunching, but it’s an idea at this point.
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I know you mentioned D.C a couple times so I gotta assume it’s either in Silver Spring, Bethesda, Rockville, or Frederick.
I live in Northern Virginia and it’s quite nice down here. I drive to Georgetown for work sometimes too.
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Bowie area. Looking silver springs too. Alexandria VA is a bit out of the budget (which is nuts considering my wife and Is salary, but true), and anything farther would be a rough commute for her.
We should grab lunch or something whenever your in the Georgetown area
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Work for today:
60 min run, 5.3mph
Notes;
- felt easy. Made sure to breathe through my nose the entire time. Got into a good audiobook.
- Did my carb up yesterday, had a bit less carbs. Feeling good today
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7oct24
Squat: 315x3, 315x3, 315x3, 315x3, 315x3, 315x3, 315x3, 315x3, 315x13 (All Time PR)
Leg extension: 160x12, 160x12, 160x11
Single leg curl: 35x20(+), 35x15, 35x13
No core, ran out of time, got kicked out of the gym lol.
Conditioning: 50 min incline treadmill ruck: 3.3 mph, 4 Inc, 30lb
Notes:
- This squat PR was absolutely disgusting. For reference, my best set of 10 is 325, best set of 12 is 295. My goal was 12, beating my old PR by 20lbs. I hit 13. While at sea, with the ship rocking. Fasted. Carb depleted. After running 5 miles yesterday, hitting 9x3x315 before the top set. And about 10lbs lighter than when I hit my last 12 rep PR. Idk what clicked, but my squat is freaking skyrocketing.
- Getting the most out of leg curls and extensions while I can. Once I move, these are gonna go away quick. Can’t justify buying one of these for the home gym.
Put an offer in on a house last night, everyone cross your fingers. Nice place, my wife fell in love with it so we chose this one over the massive garage one lol. Better neighborhood, convenient location, and the house has a very “cozy” feel (think cottage in the forest vibes.) Good news is, it has a decent sized unfinished basement, which I am taking for the home gym instead. Nice consolation prize haha.
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congrats
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Good luck with the house!
Check out this Fagus Power Rack. it’s a clone of a Sorinex rack for 1/3 price.
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Crossed!
Sounds amazing, good luck!
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Everything crossed down here mate and that i not easy with my jacked kegs. LOL
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8oct24
Press: 45x10, 95x5, 115x5, 135x3, 155x9/10 (I’m 90% sure I hit 10, but part of me wonders if I miscounted lol), 175x3 (nice), 135x11
CGBP: 135x5, 165x5, 185x5, 195x5, 195x5
Seated DB Press: 60x12, 60x7 (-)
V bar pushdown (tall cable): 100x15, 120x15, 150x13, 150x8
Db overhead ext: 50x20, 60x20
Barbell curl: 45x25
Conditioning: 40 min run: 5.3 mph
Notes:
- press moved well today. Fairly certain I hit 10 at 155, but it was definitely 9 if not 10. Not often I forget my rep count lol. The set at 135 is tough after the other two working sets, and honestly just pressing for that long while balancing for the ships rocking takes its toll.
- CGBP moved better, smart to stay away from the 205.
- Tricep extensions felt great today, really loaded up the weight and almost JM pressed it.
- Run felt fantastic, light and smooth the entire time. Pretty pleased there.
Replies to follow
Edit:
@throwawayfitness thanks!!
@FlatsFarmer I’ll have to check that out, thanks for the link! Part of my is slightly considering getting two racks so my wife and I can workout at the same time…. But also I’m on a government salary haha
@unicornsandrainbows thanks! Still waiting
@simo74 love the humble brag lol
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