Becoming Canis dirus - SvenG's Training Log

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d2

Monday - 03 April 2023
Workout: Squat, 0515-0630 (75 minutes)

Indigo-3G - 0500
Surge - 0530-0621

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 0539; End: 0624; Duration: 45 minutes
Squat - 100x5, 125x5, 155x5 | 180x5, 210x5 | (235x5)x5
Pull-up - BW - 10, 10, 10
Dip - 75 lbs - 10, 10, 10
HLR - 20, 10
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low
Push-up - 30
Good morning - 145 - 10, 10

Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 50 reps

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

Folks, I’m either gonna get stronger or I’m going to fail.

But I’m also going to learn something about myself in this process, so it’s already a win, no matter what happens. That much is inevitable!

Warm-up sets in 11 minutes, work sets in 10 minutes, 5x5 top sets in 19 minutes. Assistance was superset throughout: squat-assistance, repeat.

Everything hurt today: my legs and lower back were tired, my SI joints were creaky, my left elbow was just absolutely screaming, my right lat was making itself known, and even my upper abdominals were unhappy for some reason. Normally all of that goes away after the first few warm-up sets, but not today.

Made it through, though, and it didn’t take forever. JW wants the 5x5 top sets done in 20 minutes, and though I had a bit of time to spare today, I wasn’t really pushing, and I can easily move the assistance from in-between the sets if necessary.

Oh, and I did more BPAs and push-ups than I intended; some habits die hard, I guess.

Whatever. It was a pretty good day, all in all.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d2

Monday - 03 March 2023
Workout: Extra conditioning, 1715-1745 (30 minutes)

5.5 rounds of:
10 Deficit RDL into Hang clean into Strict press - 95 lbs
5 burpee-box jumps - 30-inch
Time: 18:35

Those hang cleans murdered my elbows today! It’s like a week away from the daily triceps work gave them a chance to get angry—ugh.

5.5 rounds because I wanted 55 RLD-clean-press reps to match the Juarez Valley scheme I used last time around. Opted for burpee-box jumps this time, and I did all 5 in the last round.

Short, sweet, and to the point!

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d3

Tuesday - 04 April 2023
Workout: Press, 0515-0620 (65 minutes)

Indigo-3G - 0500
Surge - 0530-0612

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 0537; End: 0616; Duration: 34 minutes
Press - 45x5, 55x5, 70x5 | 80x5, 90x5 | (105x5)x5
Ab wheel - ramp (19) - 10, 10, 10
Decline DB press - 2x65 lbs - 12, 10, 8
Chin-up - 25 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Bulgarian split squat - L/R - 2x30 lbs - 10, 10
Band pushdown - red - 30
BFP - red - 30

Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 50 reps

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

Warm-up sets in 10 minutes, work sets in 7 minutes, 5x5 top sets in 17 minutes, assistance superset throughout. Happy with how my press was moving today, even by the end. Nothing else of note beyond elbow pain, but I think that’s just going to be a thing for the next little while.

Battle ropes and swings planned for this afternoon.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d3

Tuesday - 04 March 2023
Workout: Extra conditioning, 1700-1725 (25 minutes)

10 minutes, EMOM
Battle ropes, 40 seconds
6 KB swings - 28 kg

Tabata DB thrusters - 2x25 lbs - 8x20/10
Reps: 8, 8, 6, 6, 4, 4, 4, 4

So I’d forgotten just how “full-body” working with my battle ropes is: It’s a 50-foot, 2-inch rope, so I don’t just fling it about—my whole body is absolutely involved! Did a bunch of different stuff with them, too, not just alternating waves.

My abs had more left, my arms were getting tired, but my lower back was toast by the end. Didn’t get a good look, but my HR topped out in the upper 150s, I think.

I placed the kettlebell just far enough away that I had to hustle back-and-forth to get the swings in, but not far enough to get any real speed. I might need to adjust either the distance (a tad bit closer?), the number of swings (4 or 5?), or the time (35/25?) to make sure I don’t cheat any of the work, but I was moving the whole time—no standing around with this one—so we’ll call it good for today.

I hadn’t planned on the tabata after, but I had a little more time and a little more energy, so I tossed it in. I held the DBs at my sides during the rest periods. My shoulders burned out really quickly, but my quads didn’t start to lose steam until about Round 6 or 7. It was a great way to get in a little extra work without overreaching.

Plus, it’s absolutely gorgeous outside, so why not spend a little more time in the sun?

[heretolog]

@SvenG

it’s absolutely gorgeous outside, so why not spend a little more time in the sun

Congrats on the weather PR

[SvenG]

@heretolog

weather PR

Genuine LOL—it’s funny 'cause it’s true.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d4

Wednesday - 05 April 2023
Workout: Easy conditioning, 0530-0625 (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. Setup for this afternoon’s calf, triceps, and hard conditioning work.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d4

Wednesday - 05 April 2023
Workout: Calves, triceps, & hard conditioning, 1700-1805 (65 minutes)

Jump rope - 300+ reps

3 rounds of:
a) Underhand straight-bar pushdown - 25 lbs - 25, 25, 25
b) Seated CR - 240 lbs - 25, 20, 15

Jump rope - 300+ reps

Pwn’s The Last Castle - AMRAP, 15 minutes
a) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x87 lbs
b) 10 plate front raise - 35 lbs
c) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x87 lbs
d) 6 alternating lunges - L/R - 2x30 lbs
Rounds: 6 (in 17:34)

Still fasted—eating when I need to, didn’t need to yet. (But I am looking forward to dinner very soon!)

Pleased with how that went. Except for jump rope. I hate jumping rope. I am very bad at it. Anyway, I got 5 full rounds in 14:48, I’m 99% sure I was up and walking again in the 6th before 15:00, and I averaged less than 3 minutes per round, so I am happy with that.

Now it’s on to dinner, then deadlifts in the morning!

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d5

Thursday - 06 April 2023
Workout: Deadlift, 0520-0630 (70 minutes)

Indigo-3G - 0500
Surge - 0530-0622

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 0542; End: 0628; Duration: 46 minutes
Deadlift - 115x5, 145x5, 180x5 | 210x5, 240x5 | (275x5)x5
Pull-up - BW - 10, 10, 10
Dip - 75 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Ab wheel - ramp (19) - 10, 10, 10
Deficit reverse lunge - L/R - 2x30 lbs - 10, 10
Push-up - 30
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low

Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 50 reps

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

Yep: I’ll either get stronger or fail!

But I’m betting on the former.

Warm-up sets in 11 minutes, main work in 9 minutes, 5x5 top sets in 18 minutes, assistance super-set throughout. I know I was lifting more weight in the 5x5 FSL supplemental reps just a few weeks ago, but I’m into this 5x5/3/1 thing for the long-haul, and the 5x5 top sets will get heavy quickly enough. As it is, today’s work was tough, but my form and bar speed were excellent—and that’s key for this template.

That’s it for this morning, but I’ve got a WOD and turkey meatloaf on tap for later today!

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d5

Thursday - 06 April 2023
Workout: Extra conditioning, 1735-1605 (30 minutes)

Inspired Train Wreck #46
3 rounds, EMOM - 15 Wendler rows - 80 lbs; 10 push-ups
3 rounds, EMOM - 15 Wendler rows - 85 lbs; 10 KB goblet squats - 28 kg
3 sets - 15 Wendler rows - 85 lbs; 5 pull-ups
3 minutes - AMRAP, Wendler rows - 95 lbs

Long story short: I started with the “Swole-Tel” WOD, modified it to what I was calling “(Inspired by) Swole-Tel,” but ended up running what you see above—train wreck indeed!

I was stupid for trying Wendler rows in a timed setting, because I like to take them slow and get a good stretch at the bottom. Okay, not ideal, but I was doing alright with solid reps through the first 3 rounds. Then I hit the goblet squats: They absolutely floored me, and I had to start rushing the rows. No, that’s not the end of the world, either, so we carry on…

But then I got to the pull-ups and just died. Just straight-up died. Wow!

I stopped the EMOM timer, gathered myself, and tried again. Same story with the second set: I just wasn’t getting it done. To make matters worse, I also realized I was so rushed that I forgot to bump up the weight! I was supposed to be using 90 lbs at that point. Fine, stop the timer, finish what I started, get the reps, focus on high-quality.

It took me over 6 minutes (!) to get through the what was supposed to be 3-minutes worth of work. Ugh!

From there I loaded 95 lbs and went straight into the last 3 minutes. Reps went 16, 10, 10, 12, and 3 for 51 total.

So yeah, it was a train wreck. Good work—HR was up, sweat was pouring, I was in near-constant motion—but a train wreck nonetheless.

Whatever, it’s time to eat, so… Let’s eat!

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d6

Friday - 07 April 2023
Workout: Bench, 0515-0615 (60 minutes)

Indigo-3G - 0500
Surge - 0530-0609

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 0534; End: 0612; Duration: 38 minutes
Bench - 80x5, 105x5, 125x5 | 150x5, 170x5 | (195x5)x5
HLR - 20, 10
Seated DB press - 2x45 lbs - 15, 15
Chin-up - 25 lbs - 10, 10, 10
Good morning - 145 lbs - 10, 10
Band pushdown - red - 30
BFP - red - 30

Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 50 reps

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

Warm-up sets in 10 minutes, main work in 7 minutes, 5x5 top sets in 18 minutes, assistance super-set throughout. Felt pretty good this morning despite a relatively poor night’s sleep—it all moved pretty smoothly.

Swapping tomorrow’s calf, triceps, and hard conditioning work for today’s extra conditioning because we’re on the road for most of tomorrow. With the swap, I should be able to finish everything before we head out. That’s the plan, anyway!

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d6

Friday - 07 April 2023
Workout: Calves, triceps, & hard conditioning, 1405-1455 (50 minutes)

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

3 rounds of:
a) Single-leg CR - L/R - 30 lbs - 10, 8, 8
b) Triceps kickback - L/R - 15 lbs - 25, 25, 25

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

Pwn’s The Last Castle, sled-push variation - AMRAP, 15 minutes
a) Sled push - 25 yards, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
b) 5 1-pump burpees
c) Sled push - 25 yards, 135 + sled = 222 lbs
d) 3 bear complexes - 95 lbs
Rounds: 6 (in 17:27)

I gotta say: THAT was one of the better variations I’ve come up with!

Don’t get me wrong: It sucked from start to finish. (And then even after I finished, too! Haha.) But it was effective: Just enough reps to break-up the monotony, just enough effort to make me grind behind that sled.

So that’s tomorrow’s afternoon work done. I’ll get the usual easy conditioning done first thing, and I’m thinking I’ll hit up the “Incredible Hulk” WOD as the swapped-in extra conditioning a bit later in the morning.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d7

Saturday - 08 April 2023
Workout: Easy conditioning, 0515-0610 (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. Trying to knock out that WOD in another hour or so, then that’ll be it for today.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1d7

Saturday - 08 April 2023
Workout: Extra conditioning, 0730-0800 (30 minutes)

Incredible Hulk WOD - AMRAP, 20 minutes
5 deadlifts
5 hang cleans
5 front squats
5 push presses
5 back squats
75 lbs
Rounds: 13 + 13 (14 full rounds in +0:51)

That was amazing!

And awful. Truly awful.

Push press was the weak link—75 lbs is closest to my working set weights for pressing—and deads were the strongest, but I tried to focus on really using my legs rather than my lower back with the super-light weight. But it was still a ball-buster, no matter how you slice it. I should probably start using this one regularly.

Edit: It just occurred to me that the only thing really missing from that WOD is some kind of horizontal push/pull work. You could toss in some push-ups (or burpees, just to do it ChongLord-style!) before deadlifts and some BB rows between deads and cleans to really make it a full-body blast. Maybe I’ll try that sometime…

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w1 - summary

Week 1 is in the books, and I think it went well. Even though I’m doing just a bit less volume and far less weight on the 5x5 work compared to the 5s PRO, 5x5 FSL work I was doing in Cycle 22, I’m thinking the squat and deadlift TMs are a touch too heavy and the press and bench TMs are a touch too light. But I can adjust squats and deads in Cycle 24, if necessary—and my current plan is to adjust by getting stronger.

My goals for Week 2 are:

• Complete all 4 lifting workouts
• Complete 4 days of extra conditioning
• Complete 3 days of easy conditioning, direct triceps work, and direct calf work
• Complete 3 days of hard conditioning
• Eat well, but only as much (and as often) as necessary

Nothing surprising there, and nothing else to say. So…

Week 2, here we come!

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w2d1

Sunday - 09 April 2023
Workout: Calves, triceps, & hard conditioning + easy conditioning, 1210-1315 + 1400-1450 (65 + 50 minutes)

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

3 rounds of:
a) EZ bar skull crushers - 50 lbs - 25, 25, 25
b) Single-leg CR - L/R - 30 lbs - 10, 8, 8

Towel hop tabata - 4x40/10

Pwn’s The Last Castle - AMRAP, 15 minutes
a) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x87 lbs
b) 6 DB snatch - L/R - 50 lbs
c) Farmer’s walk - 25 yards - 2x87 lbs
d) 8 BB rows - 155 lbs
Rounds: 4 (in 15:11; 5 full rounds in 19:16)

(45 minutes later)

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

Long day yesterday, nearly 13 hours on the road—and that was after an early morning wake-up and finishing out all of the day’s work by 0800. But it was a worthwhile day, so really I can’t complain.

Slept until 0715 this morning (!), but the kids were both up by 0745, so we flipped-flopped our schedule and I didn’t do ANY work until after we got home from an earlier church service. Decided to start with the PM workout because I figured it’d be easier to force myself to do the “easy” workout later if the rest of the day’s schedule didn’t play out like I hoped.

Pretty happy with the hard conditioning today—it was another decent combination. The first round or two had me on pace for starting the 5th round before the timer expired, but I dropped off that pace quickly enough. Our afternoon schedule ended up being flexible enough that I decided to go ahead and do the 5th, even though I was “done.”

I thought about going straight into the AM easy conditioning that I slept through, but decided to take a quick break. Back at it 45 minutes later, though, and knocked it out pretty quickly. Followed that up with Easter dinner at the in-laws’ house, which aside from some too-much-syrup sweet potatoes, was really quite good.

That’s it for today. Happy Easter, everyone!

Edit: All of today’s work was fasted—I didn’t eat anything until my we got to my inlaws’ house.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w2d2

Monday - 10 April 2023
Workout: Squat, 0515-0620 (65 minutes)

Indigo-3G - 0500
Surge - 0530-0615

Warm-up
Throws + jumps

Begin: 0537; End: 0617; Duration: 40 minutes
Squat - 110x5, 140x5, 165x5 | 195x5, 220x5 | (250x5)x5
Dip - 75 lbs - 10, 10, 10
HLR - 20, 10
Pull-up - BW - 10, 10, 10
Push-up - 30
Good morning - 145 - 10, 10
BPA - red - 10 high + 10 mid + 10 low

Assistance totals:
Push - 60 reps
Pull - 60 reps
Single-leg/core - 50 reps

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

Super happy with this morning’s squats: It didn’t take long for the 5x5s here to get heavier than in Cycle 22, and though maybe I’ve done 5x5 for FSL with more weight in some earlier run with a higher TM (don’t know for sure and I don’t have time to check), I’m only in Week 2 of a 9-week template, so this bodes well for where I’m headed.

Everything else was solid, and I moved through it all pretty quickly.

Looking to run Pwn’s 2022 New Year’s Challenge later today, but I’ll be giving breathing squats a try rather than just a typical Widowmaker that I try to crush as quickly as possible. Stay tuned for more…

Edit: I did this morning’s warm-up sets in 10 minutes, main work in 9 minutes, 5x5 top sets in 15 minutes, and I superset the assistance moves throughout, just like always.

[SvenG]

5x5/3/1 - c23w2d2

Monday - 10 April 2023
Workout: Extra conditioning, 1455-1525 (30 minutes)

Breathing squat - 185 lbs - 20+ (maybe 27?)
Deadlift - 225 lbs - 20+ (21?)

Breathing squats suck.

Even at that measly weight.

I first did Pwn’s 2022 New Year’s Challenge back on 15 January 2022, when I used 225 lbs for the 20-rep squat set and 255 lbs for the 20-rep deadlift set (which turned out to be only 19 reps). I was super-happy with my performance back then, and I’ve gone on to do many squat and deadlift Widowmakers in the time since, both with heavier weights (though I don’t think I’ve done them back-to-back again).

For some reason, the challenge popped into my head yesterday, and I decided I wanted to give it a go with breathing squats. I originally wrote out 225 lbs for both moves, but at some point during my 3rd set at 250 this morning, I totally convinced myself that 185 lbs was a better weight for the first time out with these breathing squats…

Turns out I was absolutely right.

Anyway, here’s the video:

10 April 2023 - Breathing Squat, 185x20 + Deadlift, 225x20

Nothing much to see, really, except that I still can’t count: I did way more than 20 on those squats (ended up with 27 maybe?) and I almost didn’t get the deadlifts again—started losing my grip (even with straps!), sputtered at the end, but got 21 reps (I think; I’m not bothering to watch it back again).

Whatever…

My HR was up and I was sweating, so we’re calling that “extra conditioning.” It felt good to do some 20-rep sets again, even if they were pretty light.

Makes me think I should get back on the Widowmaker train at some point, though!

[T3hPwnisher]

Outstanding showing dude! Total soulbreaker there. You did it good.

[SvenG]

@T3hPwnisher - Thanks, my man! Figured I must be doing alright: My rib cage was legit hurting by the end.