Becoming Canis dirus - SvenG's Training Log

Training Training Logs
2513

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w2d6

Friday - 19 August 2022
Workout: Press & daily work, 0850-1020 (90 minutes)

Indigo-3G - 0825
Surge - 0855-0929

Warm-up
Throws

Begin: 0908; End: 1016; Duration: 68 minutes
Press - 60x5, 75x5, 90x5 | 105x5, 120x5, 135x5 | (105x5)x10
Box jump - 24 in - 10
Pull-up - BW - 14 + 3, 14 + 3, 13 + 3, 10
Decline DB press - 2x65 lbs - 20, 18, 16, 6

Alternating DB snatches - L/R - 50 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Kroc rows - L/R - 65 lbs - 10, 10, 25

Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 0 reps

Semi-fasted: black coffee upon waking, then Indigo-3G and Surge as above.

Another good pressing day. Fatigued by the end, but all of the reps were clean and crisp. Warm-up and assistance in 11 minutes, main work and assistance in 16 minutes, supplemental and assistance, including daily work, in 41 minutes (!). The conditioning aspect of the daily work left me pretty winded today, so there was some catching-of-breath after each set before diving into the next press set.

Surge went down super fast today—maybe a little too fast. But felt pretty good throughout, so no harm done. Lower back is still a little tight, but it didn’t get in the way. This afternoon’s RDLs should help with that.

Sled work with CT’s modified French press and RDLs to follow.

10 Likes
2514

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w2d6

Friday - 19 August 2022
Workout: Sled, 1500-1600 (60 minutes)

10 rounds of:
a) Sled push - 50 yds, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
b) 10 deficit RDLs - 135 lbs
c) 10 CT’s modified French press - 95 lbs
Time: 47:06

I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but that was bad, Bad, BAD.

I wanted to drop to my knees after every round. But I didn’t.

I wanted to sit down after every round. But I didn’t.

I wanted to just quit after every round. But I didn’t.

And now it’s done.

15 Likes
2515

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w2d7

Saturday - 20 August 2022
Workout: Easy conditioning, 0620-0715 (55 minutes)

Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 16 minutes (to park)
Easy run - 9 laps, about 1750m - 9:32
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 16 minutes (from park)

Fasted. I was working hard to get 9:32 this morning—ugh! Calves, daily work, and BB curls to follow throughout the day.

6 Likes
2516

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w2d7

Saturday - 20 August 2022
Workout: Calves & daily work + BB curls, 1200-1245 + 2000-2010 (45 + 10 minutes)

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

3 rounds of:
a) Pendlay rows - 125 lbs - 10, 10, 25
b) Clean & press - 125 lbs - 10, 10, 10
c) Seated CR - 210 lbs - 30, 25, 20

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

BB curls - 133 (rep PR)

That’s done. I woke up with some minor head congestion, and catching my breath has been difficult since yesterday’s afternoon workout. Whatever…

BB curls to follow later.

Edit: BB curls done. No pausing at the top this week, but I allowed myself to rest as long as necessary at the bottom. Took 6:41 today. Not sure it helped, really, except that, well… I didn’t pause at the top. And it did help me realize that grip is actually the weak link here. Not sure how that makes any sense, but that’s where the pain is: grip and forearms. Even now I feel like Popeye. Biceps are tired by the end, yes, but they’ve still got reps in there even when the rest of me doesn’t!

12 Likes
2517

10 x 10 on RDLs sounds like it’s going to hurt later…

Great perseverance!

1 Like
2518

Maybe I’ve missed it, but what do you mean by towel hop Tabata? In my mind, I see you jumping over a towel, Or doing jump rope with a towel. Somehow I think I’m wrong on that lol.

1 Like
2519

@atlas13

I’m guessing it’s one of those footwork drills. Like, “here’s a line on the ground, jump back and & forth over it as quick as you can for x time.” I guess we’ll see what Sven says, though.

1 Like
2520

Yeah, I just roll up a towel and jump side-to-side over it. I do it “tabata” style, with 4 rounds of 40 on/10 off.

Edit: Here’s a video I found, for clarity:

That guy jumps high and wide compared to the way I do it, but you get the idea. I generally get 70-80 reps in 40 seconds.

6 Likes
2521

Gotchya! Nice speed work kind of style, should be good for a little agility boost

1 Like
2522

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w2 - summary

Another solid week: set new rep PRs on the squat and deadlift 5+ PR sets, hit all of my goals for the week, and—Friday afternoon’s workout notwithstanding—I felt pretty good generally, despite some unusual outside stressors. Still a little miffed at that deadlift set, but Friday’s 10x10 RDLs did their job (@Frank_C), as I realized my back was no longer bothering me at some point yesterday afternoon. I should be in good shape for this week’s work!

My goals for Week 3 are:

  • Complete all 4 lifting workouts
  • Hit (at least) 70 reps for each assistance category
  • Complete 3 days of easy conditioning & direct calf work
  • Row something heavy every day
  • Get something heavy from floor-to-overhead every day
  • Continue to eat well

Once again, I’ll be trying to add 10 reps in each assistance category for 70 total reps. I’ll either rest-pause like crazy or add more sets, and maybe both—time will tell.

This week will also bring some interesting life events: after a little more than 10 years, my last day at my now former employer was Friday, and tomorrow is my first day with my now current employer. This transition was a long time in coming—the process actually started on 1 April, or well over 4 months ago—and it was incredibly intense. But given where I’m coming in and what I’m going to be doing, it’s not surprising: let’s just say I’m well-vetted, haha!

I’ve left my previous employer on very good terms, and the new position is a VERY positive change, but there’s no doubt it will have an impact on my schedule—and let’s face it: family comes first. I’m still toying with the idea of “@T3hPwnisher early” workouts because my family isn’t operating at those hours. On the other hand, my team is now literally global (rather than just physically distributed across the same time zone), so who knows what things will look like. Again, time will tell.

So buckle up, folks: it’s going to be a WILD ride!

15 Likes
2523

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w3d1

Sunday - 21 August 2022
Workout: (Some) easy conditioning, (some) calves, & daily work, 0855-0955 (60 minutes)

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

3 rounds of:
a) Plate ground-to-overhead - 45 lbs - 30, 30, 40
b) Wendler rows - 90 lbs - 20, 20, 35
c) Seated CR - 210 lbs - 30, 25, 20

Fasted.

Woke up to pretty strong thunderstorms, tried to wait it out by staying productive, but had to get on with my day, so I switched things around so that I could stay inside. Beyond the order in which things get done today, the only real change was swapping today’s planned sled ground-to-overheads for tomorrow’s plate version.

So that leaves towel hops, a weighted vest walk, and The Last Castle for later. The radar indicates we’re through the worst of it now, so the rest of today’s work shouldn’t be hard to get in.

7 Likes
2524

Congrats, obviously I have no idea what your new job entails (although I’d be interested to know if you can share) but sounds like a move in the right direction

1 Like
2525

Thanks, @aholding88! I’m now working for a major processor manufacturer, helping to design the ray tracing hardware for their future GPU architectures.

I earned my PhD in computer graphics 15 years ago, and finally graphics is my actual job function. Better late than never, haha!

2 Likes
2526

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w3d1

Sunday - 21 August 2022
Workout: (Some more) calves, (some more) easy conditioning, & extra conditioning, 1450-1605 (75 minutes)

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

Pwn’s The Last Castle - AMRAP, 20 minutes
a) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x87 lbs
b) 6 alternating DB snatches - L/R - 45 lbs
c) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x87 lbs
d) 10 KB swings - 28 kg
Rounds: 8; Time: 21:15

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10
Weighted vest walk - 30 kg - 15 minutes

Want to increase the suck on your weighted vest walks?

Here’s what to do: First, destroy your traps and upper back with a bunch of Wendler rows and a couple hundred yards of heavy Farmer’s carries, then make sure your weighted vest digs into them with all it’s got; and, second, wait until until the hottest, most humid part of the day, when the otherwise cloudy skies finally clear and the sun comes out to bake you with an unexpected intensity that leaves you dehydrated just sitting.

THAT, my friends, will increase the suck.

10 Likes
2527

Absolutely not.

Wait, was that rhetorical?

1 Like
2528

Genuine LOL. Both my kids just asked me, “What’s so funny?”

1 Like
2529

5/3/1 for Hardgainers - c16w3d2

Monday - 22 August 2022
Workout: Squat, 0525-0655 (90 minutes)

Indigo-3G - 0500
Surge - 0530-0623

Warm-up only (no throws)

Begin: 0545; End: 0649; Duration: 64 minutes
Squat - 145x5, 175x5, 205x5 | 240x5, 270x5, 300x8 (rep PR) | 240x20
Box jump - 24 in - 10
HLR - 14, 14, 14, 14, 14
Dip - 60 - 14, 14, 14, 14, 14
Pull-up - BW - 14, 14, 12 + 2, 12 + 2, 11 + 3

Assistance totals:
Push - 70 reps
Pull - 70 reps
Single-leg/core - 70 reps

Semi-fasted: black coffee upon waking, then Indigo-3G and Surge as above.

Okay, so not quite “Pwn-early,” but pretty early for me. Had to set an alarm for the first time in who knows how long, but I finished before 0700, and that was the goal.

And now I’m dead.

Came into it feeling pretty good under the circumstances, but that was an incredibly draining workout. Rain again this morning, so I skipped throws. Warm-up sets and assistance in 11 minutes, main work and assistance in 15 minutes, 11 minutes of assistance only as “rest,” then into the WM which took 7 minutes (with about 3 minutes getting ready mentally), and finally finished out the last set of each assistance move.

The 5+ PR set might’ve been 9 reps, but I lost count either just before or just after 6 reps, because I paused to breathe deeply and talk myself into more reps. In so doing, I forgot whether I just finished rep 6 or was getting ready for rep 6, so I decided I was getting ready for it. It’s a rep PR either way—previous best was 295x6 for a 3+ PR set in late April.

Toyed around with the idea of 7 straight sets of 10 for each of the assistance moves, but decided on 5x14 instead. Obviously had to rest-pause those pull-ups, but still pretty pleased with the effort, there and everywhere else today. The assistance was getting to me, so I decided to finish out the WM set before I finished the assistance… Glad I did, too, because that WM was quite possibly the hardest one I’ve ever done—and if you’ve been following along for any length of time, then you know I’ve done a few WMs in my time, haha! But I got it all done eventually.

Daily work will finish out the day, but not 100% sure when that’ll come—I just know it’ll be “later.”

20 Likes
2530

Nice squats!

1 Like
2531

nice work

1 Like
2532

@shaneinga, @throwawayfitness - Thanks, guys! It was a good morning, even if these early workouts are going to take some getting used to.

2 Likes