Boatguy's New and Final Log (Ongoing)

20 August 2012
Monday - Squat, New Training Max - 375
HRV - 81, Green

Hang Clean - 95 x 5, 115 x 5, 125 x 5, 135 x 5;
Squat - 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 225 x 5, 280 x 5*, 300 x 5*, 320 x 10*;
Front Squat - 185 x 10, 10, 10, 10, 10;
Reverse Hyper - BW x 10, 25 x 10, 50 x 10, 75 x 10;
Reverse Crunch - (with foam roll) 10, 10, 10;

Prowler - 90# on sled - 10 sprints at top of each minute, remainder of minute as rest period - 10:00

Did hang cleans as an activation kind of thing before squats. My lower back didn’t hurt afterward, but it felt odd, so I will either reexamine my form, or switch to box jumps(which I like better anyway).

Reread some of 531(1st Ed), and changed up a little this go round. For the final set of the main lift each workout, you are supposed to try for more than the prescribed reps, ie, instead of 5, go for 8 or whatever. He also says in the book, when you are writing out your workout for the day(or week), to make a goal for how many reps you want to achieve. I actually tried that when I wrote out today’s routine. I saw it was 320, and decided to get 8. Then I thought, if I can get 8, I can get 10. So let’s go for 10. And I did. Can’t say it is a PR, since I’ve never tried to rep out 315 or 320 before. But I was happy with it. I think my form may have suffered a little on the last couple reps- I was still getting my depth but on the way up, I could feel the quads firing, when it should have been more posterior.

Followed that up with front squats, but instead of raising the weight, I added another set of 10. Next week I’ll start adding weight gradually, either 5 or 10 each week. I know it is an accessory lift, but I plan to increase the weight as much as possible, as long as it doesn’t interfere with recovery or the main lift(it’s done after the main, so it shouldn’t affect it anyway).

Still working my way up with the reverse hypers. Started with just legs(BW = bodyweight), then added 25 each set. Added another set at the top above what I did three weeks ago before going out of town. 75 ain’t much, but I can feel it.

I have been using a light medicine ball between my ankles and butt for reverse crunches in the past, but my current gym doesn’t have any light ones, so I used the default Eric-Cressey-recommended foam roll instead.

Prowler sprints felt good, it sucked not being able to do them for two weeks. I watched some vids on youtube to answer a question I had form-wise, and then went back to alternating high handles down - low handles back. I was trying(before) to stay as flat footed as possible on the low handles, and 1) had a horrible time doing that, and 2) could barely get traction. After watching videos, I came to the conclusion that running on the balls of my feet while on the low handles shouldn’t be an issue.


What’s that you say? The dumbbells at your gym go up to 150?

Ours go to 200.


…And so do the kettlebells.

21 August 2012
Tuesday - Bench
HRV - 74, Yellow

Plyo Pushup - 4, 4, 4;
1A. Motorcycle Row - 144 x 8, 156 x 8, 161 x 8, 170 x 8, 180 x 8, 192 x 8;
1B. Bench - 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 205 x 5, 220 x 5*, 230 x 5*, 245 x 7*;
2A. Deadstop DB Row - 70 x 8, 80 x 8, 90 x 8, 8;
2B. Incline DB Bench - 55 x 8, 8, 8, 8;
Incline Cable Flye - 60 x 8, 8, 8;
Elbow Out Extension - 40 x 8, 8, 7;
4Way Neck Machine - 50 x 8, 8, 8;

Got a yellow today, but still trained.

Back at my home gym, which has no Smith Machine. Therefore, I did plyo pushups instead of the bench toss(which I like better, only thing I use the Smith for). Felt okay, but the bar just felt heavier than it should have, just didn’t want to go up. As I got near the top set(245) I was hoping to just get 5, but got there and pushed for 2 more. So not bad after all.

Accessory lifts felt harder too, guess I am feeling the fatigue which caused the yellow. Still got most of what I wanted to accomplish, so it was a decent day overall.

Was wandering a little more between sets, and found out the gym has a plate-loaded 4 way neck machine. Always liked using one of those, haven’t seen one in a while. Going to try and keep those in when I am in town.

I meant to mention this earlier:

Ever since starting Anaconda and MAG-10, I’ve noticed that on the days I take it, I seem to piss a lot more the rest of the morning(I train first thing in the morning). I have drank a lot of water daily for several years now, but I wonder if I am increasing my total water intake without realizing it, or if it has something to do with the electrolytes added to each product…

22 August 2012
Wednesday, Conditioning
HRV - 82, Green

Woodway Treadmill workout
5:00 interval - 1/4 mile at 12MPH, then remainder of 5:00 as active rest period(walking 3MPH) x 5
20:00 walk adjusting speed and incline to keep heart rate between 130-140, total session time 45:00.
Heart Rate Average - 133 HR Peak - 187

I built this off the Litvinovs I used to do(and still do occasionally), basically just dropping the front squats or KB swings and extending the rest period(when I do the Litvinovs, it was front squat x 8 or KB swing x 8, then run on treadmill, then 90 second rest and repeat). Have been doing mostly treadmill stuff for a while, think I’ll try just running 3-4 miles outside next Wednesday instead. Haven’t done that in a while.

23 August 2012
Thursday - Deadlift
HRV - 82, Green(exact same as yesterday…funny)

Box Jump - 3, 3, 3, 3;
Deadlift - 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 230 x 5*, 250 x 5*, 265 x 10*;
Snatch Grip Dimel Deadlift - 185 x 15, 15, 15;
Glute-Ham Raise - 5*, 5, 5, 5, 5;

Prowler - 90# on sled - 1:00 interval, 30yd sprint at top of minute, remainder of minute as rest - x 12:00
Alternating handles - high handles down, low handles back.

Don’t know the height of the boxes I was jumping, they are homemade and stacked four high. The first two sets were from the platform, so maybe 2-3 inches shorter jump than the third and fourth sets, which were done from the floor on the opposite side. Need to put my tape measure back in my bag…

Deadlift felt odd at first, like I was having trouble getting the groove. By the top set(265), it was feeling better, and I pumped out 10 reps. Little harder at the end of the set than the beginning, but I got them and they felt pretty clean.

Dimel Deadlifts I got from EFS, and truth be told I might not be doing them technically correct. It is basically a higher-rep 1/2 ROM deadlift, from the top. I added a wider grip - I call it snatch grip but it’s just my ring or middle fingers on the rings of the bar. From top, bar drops to knee height or just below, then snap back up, like speed work.

First set is marked on GHR because I had to help myself back up each rep, even though I reset the height of the ankle pads. After that set, I moved the foot rest out another stop on the pin, and that was where it needed to be. The other sets went smoothly after that(or, smoother, at least).

Wanted to do more than 10:00 with the Prowler, with the intention of going for 20:00. Went down for #11, rest, and coming back for #12 I just felt like I couldn’t get up to speed, so I called it there. We’ll just add some more next week…

Have a softball double header, so I am considering backing off on training that morning, to avoid detrimental effects to my performance. Thinking I’ll just squat, front squat, and maybe some Prowler but not sure yet.

24 August 2012
Friday - Military Press
HRV - 79, Green

1A. Weighted Pullup - Bodyweight x 10, 45 x 6, 55 x 5, 65 x 5, 75 x 5;
1B. Military Press - Bar x 10, 75 x 5, 100 x 5*, 110 x 5*, 115 x 8*;
2A. Neutral Grip Pullup - 25 x 8, 8, 7, 7;
2B. Push Press - 115 x 7, 7, 7, 7;
Lateral Raise - 25 x 8, 8, 8, 8;
Cable Twist - 48 x 8, 60 x 8, 84 x 8;
Screw Curl - 40 x 8, 8, 45 x 8;

Not a lot to say, was fairly happy with today’s workout. Still not happy with my pullup weights, but that will come up slowly. It’s not like I jumped right into multiple sets of pullups with 100 pounds, back when I was doing that much. I think instead of doing arbirtrary numbers for my pullup weights, I am going to figure up a ‘training max’, and then run it as part of the 531. Probably progress smoother that way.

Best of luck with your training man !! It’s cool to see someone from SWCC on here, I’ll be starting with the armed forces come October (except up in Canada aha) and i’ll probably be stopping by from time to time to see what you’ve been up to.Did you get the HRV idea from that article Craig weller wrote a while back ? Happy Training.

Side note - how the hell do they make KB’s that big LOL

TSpoon - Yes, I had heard of the HRV thing, because I am (or was) on Joel Jamieson’s email list, but basically forgot about it after seeing the price tag. After reading Craig’s article, I put some cash together and ordered it. Liking it so far, just a pain sometimes staying in bed until the measure is done, especially if I oversleep a little.

25 August 2012
Saturday - Conditioning
HRV - 83, Green

KB/Prowler Circuit, rest as needed

KB Swing - 50 x 10/side
Prowler Lap - 140#, 30yd vertical poles down, low handles back
KB Clean - 50 x 10/side
Prowler Lap - same
KB Snatch - 50 x 10/side
Prowler Lap
KB Squat - 50 x 10/side
Prowler Lap
KB Push Press - 40 x 10/side
Prowler Lap

Total Time - 20:23
20:00 minute incline walk on treadmill, keeping HR above 120.

This circuit was a little more taxing than I meant, but maybe that’s a good thing. I took my HR manually immediately after each Prowler Lap, then immediately after finishing, and again later. HR got as high as 160, but I didn’t get one higher. My 60 second recovery HR was pretty good, dropped to 120 that fast. Legs were burning at the end, and they were definitely wobbly. I expected some DOMS the next day, but the walk at the end, followed by stretching, must have helped flush them out.

Next time, I think I will add in some moves to get more time between the Prowler Laps.

27 August 2012
Monday - Squat
Bodyweight - 207.5
HRV - 86, Green

Box Jump - 38" - 3, 3, 3, 3;
Squat - 135 x 7, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 275 x 3, 300 x 3*, 320 x 3*, 340 x 5*;
Front Squat - 190 x 10, 10, 10;

I cut most of the accessory work out of my session today, since i was supposed to have a softball double header and didn’t want to be wobbling to first. Then the rain came, and no games.

340 felt a bit heavier than I would have liked. Still can’t decide if I lost some strength and that is why it feels so heavy, or if 7 weeks of SL5x5 did it to me(no real heavy lifting during that time - only got as high as 270 the last training session I did).

28 August 2012
Tuesday - Bench
HRV - 82, Green

Plyo Pushup - 4, 4, 4;
1A. Seated Cable Row - 156 x 8, 8, 168 x 8, 180 x 8, 192 x 8, 8;
1B. Bench - 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 205 x 4, 230 x 3*, 245 x 3*, 260 x 5*;
2A. Meadows Row - 75 x 8, 85 x 8, 95 x 8, 105 x 8;
2B. Incline DB Bench - 55 x 8, 8, 8, 8;
Incline Cable Flye - 60 x 8, 8, 8;
Elbow Out Extension - 40 x 8, 8, 8;

Today felt alright, but the weights on bench seemed to get heavy quicker than I would have thought. I am also getting closer to my old max(315ish), so that obviously has something to do with it. On my old ‘system’ where I would basically work up to a solid near-max single (for that day), I was usually doing 1-2 reps by the time I got into the 260 range. Got 5 at 260 today, when 2 weeks ago I got 3 at 270. I definitely feel like I am making progress with this program, and am planning on doing the deload week this cycle. I think I mentioned above about going 2-3 cycles before doing the deload, but I think the better approach will be to just see how I am feeling toward the end of the 3 heavier weeks. And at some point, I am sure I will have to start doing the 3 steps forward, 1 step back approach Jim talks about in the book, in order to keep progressing.

Meadows Rows were a little easier than they have been in the past, mainly because I did them today using a T-Bar machine, while in the past I was using the end of a bar tucked into a corner or in a landmine attachment, which would allow the end to rotate in my hand.

On a side note, I screwed myself last week. I ordered (I thought) MAG-10 last Friday, and my bottle was delivered today. I opened the box, however, to find Anaconda, which I have plenty of(but I am out of MAG-10). Failure to pay attention to detail on my part, I know, but I don’t like how regardless of which button you click in the supplements drop-down(MAG-10 or Anaconda), you get the same page with both on it. I apparently clicked on Anaconda without realizing it, so that is what I got. So, I called customer service and ordered another bottle of MAG-10, and ponied up the $22 for overnight delivery, to be here tomorrow. Expensive lesson, yes?

Awesome training log Boatguy! I also started working out my Junior year in high School, but i was the opposite from you, I was chubby at 6’3 and 240lbs, no muscle mass at all. I saw you posting on in a thread that was showing how to improve your 1.5 mile run time, as I need help with the 1.5 mile because I am looking at the Navy, and when i saw your username and avatar I instantly knew you were SWCC, just wanted to drop by and thank you for your service, and I myself have dreams of getting into NSW in the future. Was curious to ask where you workout at? I live in Virginia Beach, Virginia and would totally like to join you on your workouts sometime, that is if you’re totally cool with it. Once again very nice training log!

Also I will try that Litvinovs workout you advised to help with the 1.5 mile run.
8 rep squat, followed by a 1/4 mile sprint. It’s definitely going to suck.

Thanks in advance,
Justin Boult

Justin - Thanks for posting. I have access to the NSW Group 2 gym on base as well as the NSW Group 4 gym, both of which are pretty awesome(Group 4’s a bit more so - can’t beat an indoor 40yd turf field). However, both get kind of crowded in the morning, since we actually are afforded PT time in the morning(in contrast to the conventional Navy, which is supposed to allow their members to PT during working hours, but rarely do.

Because of this, I got a membership at Brute Strength Gym. It is a powerlifter/strongman/iron sport gym off of Military Highway, between the 264 and Va Beach Blvd. It’s actually on a side road, but I forget the name of it. I am typically there around 8AM, and with my full session am leaving around 9(or a little later). They give a military discount, and have a ton of options for membership. You are more than welcome to come out and lift with me, but you would have to pay to get in. I feel kind of odd saying that, no one has ever asked to lift with me before.

As to the Litvinov’s, yeah, they totally suck. But they definitely work for me when I do them enough. I picked a 90 second rest as an arbitrary number, the point being to create and stay in a fatigued state throughout the session, but the original article said to rest to complete recovery. I have done another version of these recently, where I go on the treadmill, and used a 5:00 interval. Start the full speed run(it’s not really a sprint after all) at the top of the minute, then at the 1/4 mile mark slow to 2.5 - 3 MPH and walk for the remainder of the 5. Then repeat as many times as you can. I’ve only done it that way once, and still did only 4 repetitions because I had already done about 20:00 of other cardio prior to this. I plan on trying them again in the future, and seeing how many reps I can get.

Anyways, good luck. If you want to go Navy, and have ideas of going NSW, definitely get in shape to where you can easily pass the screen test before you ship to RTC. That way you can go straight into the job you want, instead of getting stuck in the fleet for a few years before getting a chance to screen(which makes it a bit more difficult, what with ship work and deployment schedules).

29 August 2012
Wednesday - Conditioning
HRV - 83, Green

3 mile Run - 23:30
Heart Rate Average - 170 HR Peak - 188

Wasn’t real happy with that time, or how high my HR crept. It levelled out at about 152, but then steadily crept up over the course of the run. I might have to rethink my conditioning strategies, since I can’t run without it getting that high. I did, however, get about halfway through the run before it even got to 160, so not too bad. And I didn’t pay attention to my splits, but I feel like I slowed down on the last mile. COuldn’t really have checked my split times though, since I didn’t mark the miles when I measured it.

I like using the US Track and Field website, they have a Map It feature which uses Google Earth, allowing you to zoom into the area you will be running in and drawing a line around your route to figure up the distance. I’ve always preferred to run for distance instead of just for time, that way I can figure out if I was holding a good pace or not. Some days you feel like you are killing it, but then when you compare time to distance, you were sucking the whole time. At least I do.

Boatguy, thanks for replying. Brute Strength Gym is only a 20 min drive away from me, not too far at all. I was looking on their website looking at the Gym pictures, and the vibe I got when looking was Crossfit, now correct me if I am wrong; I saw lots of Kettlebells, Rings, Pull-up bars, Dip staions, Deadlift mats, Squat racks, Ceiling ropes, Sleds, Rowing machines, just like a crossfit gym at a low price of 50$ a month? Wish i knew about this gym a year ago, absolutelt amazing! But, i didn’t see any benches or treadmills, but that’s not too important.

I will definitely give this gym a check out!

Right now I workout at a gym called Planet Fitness. (Kind of embarrassed to say, but it’s cheap and is right behind my house, and opened 24/7) and it is packed at all hours! This gym only has Smith machines, which i do my Squats, Deadlifts, and Bench Press on. I finished my tricep/sprints this morning at 3:00 am, and still all the smith machines were occupied. I guess that’s expected at a gym that’s only 10$ a month.

I recently started a new sprint routine where I run at 10mph for 1 min, followed by a :30 to 1:00 min rest, do this for up to 4-8 times depending on what I worked out prior, and even this has me sucking bad.

Sorry to take up space in your training logs, don’t mean to do this. I was trying to send you a private message but says I do not have permission yet, so sorry for rupturing your posts. If you don’t mind, I will be taking some of your workouts and incorporating them into my workout routine. Thanks again!

I’ll stop by sometime next week at your gym, the day pass is only 10$ and I’ll check it out and if you’re there get a workout session with you if you’re down.

Was going to ask you, can i get access to these NSW gyms? My father is a retired Navy CWO4 and I am still a dependent till my 21st birthday.

Thanks,
Justin Boult

boult - No worries bro, post away. The NSW gyms are inside theirr respective compounds, and the Group 2 one in particular has a sign posted, no guests or dependents(don’t know why, probably just due to extra wear and tear on equipment). BSG has all those things you mentioned, as well as 2-3 squat racks, a half dozen benches, a couple monolifts, stones, tires, Prowlers, a climbing rope, dumbbells up to 200(kettlebells too), and several lifting platforms. They also have safety squat bars, trap bars, 1-2 football bars, and all kinds of grip implements. And by the way, I leave town Thursday the 6th for 2 weeks, but if you get in while I’m there, then game on.

30 August 2012
Thursday - Deadlift
HRV - 78, Yellow - Apparently my body didn’t like the run yesterday.

Broad Jump - 3, 3, 3;
Deadlift - 135 x 10, 185 x 5, 225 x 5, 250 x 3*, 265 x 3*, 280 x 5*;
Reeves Deadlift - 135 x 5, 185 x 2; Snatch Dimel Deadlift - 185 x 15, 15, 20;
GHR - 5, 5, 5, 5, 5;
Prowler - 90 x 16:00(8 high handle, 8 low handle)

I tried broad jumps today, but really didn’t care for them. I might try them a few more times to see if a it’s a technique issue(on some of them I was jumping up more than forward, and slapping down painfully in my Five Fingers), or just find something else.

Deadlifts went good, still working on grip. I need to use my grippers more than I have been, to accelerate that process. I tried the Reeves deadlift after the main lift, but didn’t really like them. I didn’t feel like I could tighten my upper back appropriately, so I switched back to my Snatch-Grip Dimel Deadlifts. I don’t go super wide on those, I typically put either my ring finger or middle finger on the bar rings, and then keep my upper back as tight as possible throughout.

GHRs went better, since I wrote down the pin positions I need on the machine. Could probably go for more than 5 reps, but I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t get as many sets done.

Came to a realization about the Prowler, after doing it last week - last week, I cut it shorter than I had planned because I felt like I wasn’t getting up to speed on my last set. I start my sprints at the minute marks on my stopwatch, and I have gotten in the habit of looking at the seconds elapsed immediately after releasing the sled. Since I know I do that fairly consistently, I used that as a gauge today as to how many reps to do. I got to 16 without more than a second drop on the high handle sprints, but I still stopped there because I had to leave for work. On several of those reps, also, I felt like I wasn’t moving as fast as normal, but the clock told a different story. So much for female intuition…

Almost forgot, I am planning on doing a Tough Mudder with my sister December 1st in Florida, so I will be further modifying my template to prepare for that. My plan right now is to switch back to a lift 3 days/condition 3 days schedule, most likely adding deadlift onto Military Press day and dropping all the deadlift accessory work. The three conditioning days will be circuit heavy, possibly using the Tough Mudder Boot Camp workouts as a guide. I will also throw in some other stuff to keep from getting bored, like some of the Horsemen workouts which are more broad conditioning focus, as well as running at least once a week.

If you’ve never heard of it, Tough Mudder is a 10-12 mile long obstacle course. Luckily, I have access to two different O-courses on base, so I will try and incorporate those as much as possible, probably with a run.

Going to finish out next week, which is 531 week, then combine deadlift and mil press during the deload week, and thereafter. I’ve never been real keen on the deadlift anyway, so I might keep my template that way after the race, just scaling the conditioning back a bit.

31 August 2012
Friday - Military Press
HRV - 83, Green

1A. Weighted Pullup - BW x 10, 35 x 7, 65 x 3*, 70 x 3*, 72.5 x 5*;
1B. Military Press - Bar x 10, 85 x 7, 110 x 3*, 115 x 3*, 120 x 7*;
2A. Neutral Grip Pullup - 25 x 8, 8, 8, 8;
2B. Push Press - 120 x 7, 7, 7, 8; Front Lever - 2, 1, 1;
3A. Lateral Raise - 25 x 10, 10, 10, 8;
3B. DB Shrug - 80 x X, 8, 8, 8;
A. Close Grip Bench - 135 x 10, 10, 10;
B. Incline Curl - 35 x 8, 8, 8;

Now that I look at it, I think I did a bit extra today. I threw the Front Levers in just because I wanted to see if I could still do them - I can, but not as well as I used to.

Like I mentioned in a previous post, I figured up an ‘estimated’ 1RM for Weighted Pullups, then figured a training max and threw it in like a main lift in 531. Have to say, after today, I think that was a good idea. Volume is a bit lower than I used to do, but the goal on those is weight. Besides, you may have noticed I am now doing the ‘accessory’ pullups with 25# - not a lot of weight, but enough to make it a little more interesting. Threw shrugs in since I haven’t done them in a while, want to thicken up the traps some more.