Becoming Canis dirus - SvenG's Training Log

Training Training Logs
2292

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d3

Tuesday - 12 July 2022
Workout: Deadlift & press, 1135-1255 (80 minutes)

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 1157; End: 1251; Duration: 54 minutes
Deadlift - 190x5, 225x5 | 265x5, 300x5, 340x5
Press - 75x5, 90x5 | 105x5, 120x5, 135x5
Decline DB press - 2x65 lbs - 16, 15, 4
Cable crunch - 50 - 30, 20
Chin-up - BW - 16, 15, 4
Band pushdown - red - 30
Bulgarian split squat - L/R - 2x30 lbs - 15, 10
BFP - red - 30

Assistance totals:
Push - 65 reps
Pull - 65 reps
Single-leg/core - 75 reps

Yep, these 5/3/1 full body workouts are real butt-kickers, and I haven’t even reached the back-to-back 5x5 days yet!

I was tired and hungry going into this workout, but it went alright considering. Deadlifts took about 30 minutes (with warm-up sets and assistance), and press took about 21 minutes (with warm-ups and assistance). Top sets of both lifts were hard but decent, and I used straps only for the top set of those deadlifts.

Pleased with the chins today, though I noticed some forearm pain—or more like a dull ache—during the first two sets. Probably a bit sore from Sunday’s BB curls: I did end up doing 169 in one day, and I’ve NEVER done that many curls before. Still some discomfort in the lower abs with the Bulgarians—not like before last week’s deload, but still noticeable. I may try HLRs and ab wheel rollouts again later in the week just to test the waters a bit, but I’m not expecting them to feel particularly great just yet.

Daily work and a sled push are still on today’s agenda, but first I’m going to eat.

11 Likes
2293

I daresay the difference is that, among other things, SvenG is not trying to stay at some arbitrary weight and leanness level. He eats as needed and doesn’t stress about how he looks in the mirror too much.

Pretty sure you can be freaking amazing strength and physique wise if you just loosened up and let yourself grow.

4 Likes
2294

This is true. Or at least it is true NOW. Took me a long time to get there, unfortunately.

2295

The real comedy being that, once you stop worrying about always looking your best: you look WAY better.

I was stuck in skinny fat for a long time until I decided to just full send the weight gain.

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2296

Moderation by extremes?

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2297

Hah! Sometimes a 50/50 compromise means 100/0

2 Likes
2298

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d3

Tuesday - 12 July 2022
Workout: Daily work + hard conditioning, 1545-1600 + 1645-1740 (15 + 45 minutes)

3 rounds of:
a) Alternating DB snatch - L/R - 45 lbs - 6, 6, 6
b) Pendlay rows - 120 lbs - 10, 10, 25

10 rounds of:
a) Sled push - 25 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
b) 10 1-pump burpees
c) Sled push - 25 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
d) 10 KB swings - 28 kg
Time: 35:47

I’ve been leading a series of morning meetings that are just absolutely draining me way too early in the day, and they’re pushing all of my training later than I’d like. Tomorrow’s is the longest, and arguably the most important, but it’s also the last, so that’s something to look forward to, I guess…

I only did 6 minutes worth of actual work here, the rest was setup and teardown. Obviously I’m moving very slowly—once again feeling the lack of conditioning work last week. I went with 45-lbs DBs for the snatches, which is +5 lbs compared to when I do these in The Last Castle. Turns out I could probably handle either more weight or more reps for this (nearly) standalone work. But they absolutely served their purpose today, so we’re good.

Sled push still to come—I’ll edit that in once it’s done.

Edit: Sorry, ladies and gentlemen, SvenG is not available for comment…

12 Likes
2299

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d4

Wednesday - 13 July 2022
Workout: Calves, daily work, & extra conditioning, 1215-1340 (85 minutes)

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

3 rounds of:
a) Cluster - 120 lbs - 10, 10, 10
b) CS DB rows - 2x45 - 10, 10, 25
c) Belted CR - 135 - 30, 25, 20

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

(Modified) Fat Amy WOD
Time: 26:39

Running today’s meeting in a fasted state would not have been a smart choice, so I ate an early breakfast. None of this work was fasted, nor will be the run later, but I was tired and hungry again, so that’s close enough, right? (Yeah, yeah, I’ve made that “joke” before, I know…)

Not sure whose idea clusters were, nor why that idiot chose clusters at 120 lbs—those absolutely floored me. So in that sense they were a really good Bad Idea. The set of 25 rows had me working hard again, but the squeeze at the top was super solid for most of that set.

Tried the Fat Amy WOD today, and let me tell you: it’s harder than it looks on paper. I modified it by replacing the 10-meter bear crawl with a 50-yard farmer’s walk, mostly just because. I did 30 (forward) lunges per leg—I’m never sure if “alternating” means 30 per leg or 30 total, so I err on the side of more work instead of less. Even so, I don’t think 26+ minutes is a particularly great time, but I was focused on slow, controlled movements more than speed… No reason to get sloppy. It totally got my HR up, got my blood flowing, and kept my body moving, so it’s a keeper!

Easy conditioning to follow later, but now—yep, you guessed it!—it’s time for lunch.

8 Likes
2300

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d4

Wednesday - 13 July 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning, 1645-1750 (55 minutes)

Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 16 minutes (to park)
Easy run - 9 laps, about 1750m - 10:50
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 17 minutes (from park)

Today’s easy conditioning was anything but easy. That said, I got my HR up, got my blood flowing, and kept my body moving all over again, so it served its purpose.

8 Likes
2301

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d5

Thursday - 14 July 2022
Workout: Squat, bench, & daily work, 1205-1340 (95 minutes)

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 1225; End: 1320; Duration: 55 minutes
Squat - 170x5, 205x5 | (235x5)x5
Bench - 135x5, 165x5 | (190x5)x5
Dip - 60 - 15, 15, 5
Cable crunch - 50 - 30, 20
Pull-up - BW - 15, 13, 7
Push-up - 30
Good morning - 135 - 15, 10
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low

3 rounds of:
a) Alternating DB snatches - L/R - 50 lbs - 8, 8, 8
b) Kroc rows - L/R - 65 lbs - 10, 10, 25

Assistance totals:
Push - 65 reps
Pull - 65 reps
Single-leg/core - 75 reps

Running on about 4 hours sleep, up since 0300 working on a deliverable that’s due tomorrow. Haven’t had to do that for long time, but it serves me right: I didn’t plan ahead well enough, particularly given the morning meetings earlier this week. Point being, I was feeling trashed BEFORE I went into this long (very long!) workout…

Went alright considering. Squats were tough—I was feeling light-headed for most of the sets—but I found some energy and bench was strong. Squat sets in 29 minutes, bench sets in 20, both including warm-ups and assistance moves. Well, except for the last few bench sets—good mornings required the barbell, I didn’t feel like loading/unloading every time, and I eventually ran out of other moves to superset, so I was just resting for a minute or two between them.

Straight into daily work, because I wanted to be done FOR THE DAY more than I wanted to just be done. Now that I’m on the other side of it, I’m SO glad I made that decision early on and actually followed through. Anyway, 3 sets of 8 at 50 lbs is just about right for those DB snatches, at least for the next little while. I can try adding reps or weight again in a few weeks.

Mrs. SvenG is traveling for work for the first time in… Well, it’s been so long neither of us could remember when exactly, but it was probably a year or so BEFORE the pandemic. So it’s just me and the kids for the next 36 hours or so. As much as I miss my wife when she’s away, it’s gonna be kind of fun to have them all to myself!

16 Likes
2302

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d6

Friday - 15 July 2022
Workout: Deadlift, press, & daily work, 1125-1300 (95 minutes)

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 1144; End: 1238; Duration: 54 minutes
Deadlift - 190x5, 225x5 | (265x5)x5
Press - 75x5, 90x5 | (105x5)x5
Seated DB press - 2x40 lbs - 16, 15, 4
Cable crunch - 50 - 30, 20
Chin-up - BW - 15, 14, 6
Band pushdown - red - 30
Deficit reverse lunge - L/R - 2x30 lbs - 15, 10
BFP - red - 30

3 rounds of:
a) Clean & press - 120 lbs - 10, 10, 10
b) Pendlay rows - 120 lbs - 10, 10, 25

Assistance totals:
Push - 65 reps
Pull - 65 reps
Single-leg/core - 75 reps

That was A LOT of pressing! And a fair amount of pulling.

Still running on poor sleep—a few more hours than the night before, but terrible quality. Just terrible. That said, I was feeling a bit better going into this workout that I did yesterday, so that’s something.

Everything felt strong today, but my upper body is beat. Deadlifts in 30 minutes (with warm-ups and assistance moves), press in 25 minutes (with warm-ups and assistance moves). Could feel that tension in my right forearm again with the chins today, reaches clear down into my elbow. And I’m now aware of my left elbow as I stand here typing this… Might have overdone it with those curls last Sunday, but I’d better heal up quick because I do it all over again (+1) tomorrow.

Straight into daily work again today. I’m not going to make a habit of that (I hope!), but my schedule’s been so weird this week I didn’t have a choice. Felt like it took forever, but not too bad in reality. Anyway, I’ve still got the sled push to do before this evening’s activities, so I’m glad I squeezed this in. C&P was incredibly hard, but that’s not surprising given the amount of pressing I’d already done by that point. Rows were tough too, but more because of general fatigue, I think, than anything else.

12 Likes
2303

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d6

Friday - 15 July 2022
Workout: Hard conditioning, 1550-1630 (40 minutes)

10 rounds of:
a) Sled push - 25 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
b) 8 DB front squats - 2x30 lbs
c) Sled push - 25 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
d) 15 shrugs - 2x65 lbs
Time: 29:29

If Wednesday’s easy conditioning wasn’t easy, well, then today’s hard conditioning was HARD. Got it done, though, and now I don’t have to worry about anything until tomorrow morning… That’s looking like a nice long 12+ hour break!

10 Likes
2304

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d7

Saturday - 16 July 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning, 0630-0725 (55 minutes)

1-pump burpees + 28-kg KB swings - 2x(25 + 25), 25-second rest between
Bike@120-140 bpm - 10 minutes
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 15 minutes

Fasted. Up and out at a reasonable time despite more poor sleep. Calves, daily work, and BB curls throughout the day.

7 Likes
2305

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1d7

Saturday - 16 July 2022
Workout: Calves & daily work + BB curls, 1015-1105 + 1705-1715 (50 + 10 minutes)

Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10

3 rounds of:
a) Plate ground-to-overhead - 45 lbs - 20, 20, 20
b) Kroc rows - L/R - 65 lbs - 10, 10, 25
c) Belted CR - 135 - 30, 25, 20

Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10

BB curls - 128 (rep PR)

That’s done. BB curls will follow later, but we’re headed out for the afternoon.

Edit: BB curls done. That set was incredible! Hard and painful, yes, but SO much better than the 127 reps last week: done in 5:33, zero rest at the top, only brief pauses at the bottom from time to time. Forearm pump is still off the charts. Counted reps in my head as 28+50+30+10+10, which made it somehow more tolerable—not less painful, just more tolerable, haha!

12 Likes
2306

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w1 - summary

Not much to say about this past week: my schedule was wacky, but it went pretty well overall, I hit my goals, and my nutrition was absolutely spot-on. Squats were a lot harder than I would’ve liked—I think my legs were still feeling a bit hungover from the set of 195x45 the previous Friday—but everything else moved well.

The full body arrangement is interesting. I’m not sure I like it, but it’s one of those points of variation that keeps 5/3/1 interesting, so I’m going to ride it out. And who knows? Maybe I’ll find the split to be effective over the long run—I’m just one week in, after all.

My goals for Week 2 are pretty much the same as for Week 1:

  • Complete all 4 lifting workouts
  • Hit (at least) 65 reps for each assistance category
  • Complete 2 days of hard conditioning
  • Complete 3 days of easy conditioning
  • Continue to row something heavy every day
  • Continue to get something heavy from floor-to-overhead every day
  • Continue to eat well and eat to recover (but no more)

It’s a 5s week, so I might do the supplemental work Malcom X-style. Now that I think about it, it’d be kinda cool to get all 25 reps in a single set—some kind of extended Widowmaker… I not making any promises, so we’ll just have to see how I’m feeling by Thursday and Friday.

Either way, it’s time to get it done—off we go!

3 Likes
2307

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w2d1

Sunday - 17 July 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning, 0635-0725 (50 minutes)

1-pump burpees + 28-kg KB swings - 2x(25 + 25), 25-second rest between
Bike@120-140 bpm - 10 minutes
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 15 minutes

Fasted.

STILL sleeping poorly. I mean, I don’t often sleep particularly well, but it’s been rough enough lately for me to notice a difference. Residual stress, maybe?

Calves, daily work, and The Last Castle throughout the day. And I should probably cut the grass, if the weather cooperates.

4 Likes
2308

Have you been getting leaner? When I get too lean, my sleep gets wrecked.

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2309

Funny that you mention it: I woke up feeling extra lean this morning!

I know you talk about the “Deep Water Effect,” and I’ve felt something similar before in the weeks following the extra Widowmaker sets I do—maybe I’m still leaning out due to some kind of “Widowmaker Effect.”

1 Like
2310

Full Body, 5s PRO - c15w2d1

Sunday - 17 July 2022
Workout: Calves & daily work + extra conditioning, 1215-1255 + 1715-1800 (40 + 45 minutes)

Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10

3 rounds of:
a) Clean & press - 120 lbs - 10, 10, 10
b) Pendlay rows - 120 lbs - 10, 10, 25
c) Belted CR - 135 lbs - 30, 25, 20

Jump rope tabata - 4x40/10

False Start - AMRAP, 20 minutes
a) In-place farmer’s walk - 2x87 lbs - 60 seconds
b) 6 alternating DB snatches - L/R - 40 lbs
c) Farmer’s bar hold - 2x87 lbs - 60 seconds
d) 10 KB swings - 28 kg
Rounds: 1.25; Time: (did not finish)

Pwn’s The Last Castle - SvenG’s Rainy Day Variation - 8 rounds, for time
a) Farmer’s bar hold - 2x87 lbs - 30 seconds
b) 6 alternating DB snatches - L/R - 40 lbs
c) Farmer’s bar hold - 2x87 lbs - 30 seconds
d) 10 KB swings - 28 kg
Time: 25:14+

Had a normal breakfast, but I was absolutely starving going into this, so I was really motoring: finished up that circuit in 17:52 by really pushing through the C&P and keeping the time between moves super-short.

That just leaves The Last Castle, but it’ll follow later this afternoon.

Edit: My lack of creativity was really shining through today: I opted for C&P yet again! They’re effective, but… Anyway, I’m thinking of unloading my sled and trying to get that over my head—it’s “only” 77 lbs, but it’s big and awkward and not really meant for that kind of work, so it could be magic. I don’t have a keg or barrel, so if anyone has suggestions for floor-to-overhead variations that haven’t already shown up here, I’m all ears!

Edit 2: So a thunder storm got in the way today—didn’t get to the grass in time, and I tried to wait it out so I could get The Last Castle in, but I was already way behind: I had to do something or miss the opportunity entirely. Mrs. SvenG asked me not to go outside with giant lightning rods in my hands, and she rarely interferes with my workouts, so I figured I’d better listen up. Tried the False Start first, but realized there was no way my grip was going to hold up after just 3 “trips” with the bars in hand. So I regrouped and ended up doing SvenG’s Rainy Day variation. 25:14+ because I forgot to start my total-time timer until about half-way through the first round. Normally The Last Castle spikes my HR and challenges my conditioning, but grip was definitely the challenge here. The snatches and swings got my HR up, but just standing there with the bars is an entirely different experience than walking even just 25 yards—I was super-aware of my grip and yoke, which was AWESOME, but my HR had a chance to come down while just standing there. Even so, “it answered the mail,” as Pwn says, so I’ll keep something like this in mind for future thunderstorms…

7 Likes
2311

You’re really on your 15th straight cycle of 5/3/1 work??? That ranks up there with @simo74’s level of consistency!

(Note: this post is meant to highlight the consistent use of one program.)

1 Like