Brandon's Backyard Buffoonery

Training Training Logs
482

11/3/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 2/Day 5

A1) Axle Strict Press from rack - 47x10, 69x5, 91x3, 112x6x4
A2) Chest Supported Trap Bar Rows - 99x5, 116x10x4

B1) Cambered Bar Squats - 55x10, 121x5, 187x3, 230x6x4
B2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

C1) DB Incline Bench - 51x10x4
C2) Drag Curl - 51x10x4

54:11

I used microplates to add a lb to my press/squat worksets and shaved nearly 2 minutes off the time from Day 1. Any way I can to make the day harder within the parameters. The sweet, sweet week of 3s is next, and then probably a mini deload so I can get my ā€œweekā€ back aligned with the calendar.

8 Likes
483

11/4/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 2/Day 6

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/5/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 1

A1) Axle Bench Press - 47x10, 91x5, 135x3, 175x3x4
A2) Neutral Grip Landmine Rows - 89x5, 122x8x4

B1) Low Handle Trap Bar Dead - 55x10, 143x5, 209x3, 271x3x4
B2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

C1) Axle Curls - 54x8x4
C2) Dips (with 2 chains on weight belt) -11x8x4

50:07

10 Likes
484

11/6/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 2

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/7/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 3

A1) Axle Strict Press from rack - 47x10, 69x5, 91x3, 117x3x4
A2) Chest Supported Trap Bar Rows - 99x5, 121x8x4

B1) Cambered Bar Squats - 55x10, 143x5, 209x3, 244x3x4
B2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

C1) DB Incline Bench - 56x8x4
C2) Drag Curl - 55x8x4

52:16

11/8/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 4

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/10/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 5

A1) Axle Bench Press - 47x10, 91x5, 135x3, 176x3x4
A2) Neutral Grip Landmine Rows - 89x5, 123x8x4

B1) Low Handle Trap Bar Dead - 55x10, 143x5, 209x3, 272x3x4
B2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

C1) Axle Curls - 55x8x4
C2) Dips (with 2 chains on weight belt) -12x8x4

48:59

Been crazy busy but still getting it done. Was watching an old episode of Pure Strength and Magnus Ver Magnusson had a great quote that sums up periodization in 2 sentences. ā€œIn the winter when itā€™s cold we go inside and train powerlifting. In the summer when itā€™s nice we go out and train strongmanā€. The strongest dudes have a way of really simplifying things.

Excited to start another cycle of Grey Man on Wednesday.

9 Likes
485

Iā€™ll say this. Iā€™ve been doing my long cardio sessions during my lunch break at work. Due to my work restrictions, I am either on a treadmill or a stair master, doing 45 minutes of low intensity zone 2 cardio, with no music, no headphones, no TV, just silence and the sound of my breath as I stare at the poorly painted tan wall in front of me. I have never understood training boredom the same way I do know haha

3 Likes
486

11/11/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 2/Week 3/Day 6

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/13/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 1

A1) Axle Strict Press from rack - 47x10, 69x5, 91x3, 104x8x4
A2) Chest Supported Trap Bar Rows - 99x5, 114x12x4

B1) Cambered Bar Squats - 55x10, 121x5, 165x3, 218x8x4
B2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

C1) DB Incline Bench - 47x12x4
C2) Drag Curls - 51x12x4

53:28

Gave myself an extra rest day before getting back to it. Iā€™m not really deloading as this will be my 3rd straight cycle without a bridge week, so I figured it could only help. Shaved off almost 5 minutes from this Week 1 session last cycle while adding weight across the board - good stuff. All those 8s and 12s add up fast. I was huffing and puffing.

6 Likes
487

11/14/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 2

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/15/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 3

A1) Axle Bench Press - 47x10, 91x5, 135x3, 157x8x4
A2) Neutral Grip Landmine Rows - 89x5, 111x12x4

B1) Low Handle Trap Bar Deadlift - 55x10, 143x5, 199x3, 244x8x4
B2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

C1) Axle Curls - 45x12x4
C2) Dips - 6(+2 chains)x12x2, BW(+2 chains)x12x2

60:18

Tough session, lost steam at the end with the dips. Adding weight to everything really adds up, pun intended.

7 Likes
488

11/16/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 4

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/17/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 5

A1) Axle Strict Press from rack - 47x10, 69x5, 91x3, 105x8x4
A2) Chest Supported Trap Bar Rows - 99x5, 116x12x4

B1) Drag Curls - 53x12x4
B2) DB Incline Bench - 47x12x4

C1) Cambered Bar Squats - 55x10, 121x5, 165x3, 219x8x4
C2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

53:55

Caught some kind of bug this weekend but still got it done. Switched the order up so squats were last - I think thatā€™s a keeper. Letā€™s me really burn the boats, and I think Iā€™ll be able to progress that 2nd upper body superset better without the squat/dead fatigue impacting it.

5 Likes
489

I always like ending a workout with squats for just the reason you mention. Great to just leave it all out there.

1 Like
490

11/18/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 1/Day 6

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/19/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 2/Day 1

A1) Axle Bench Press - 47x10, 91x5, 135x3, 168x6x4
A2) Neutral Grip Landmine Rows - 89x5, 118x10x4

B1) Axle Curls - 49x10x4
B2) Dips - 6(+2 chains)x10x4

C1) Low Handle Trap Bar Deadlift - 55x10, 143x5, 209x3, 262x6x4
C2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

51:38

This session fits together perfectly in my training space. Very little transition time between supersets, Iā€™m able to setup or cleanup during rest periods. And Iā€™m very happy with what this program is doing for my bench (with due credit to my daily pushups as well).

6 Likes
491

11/20/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 2/Day 2

30 minute walk w/ 25lb vest

11/21/25 - TB Grey Man - Cycle 3/Week 2/Day 3

A1) Axle Strict Press from rack - 47x10, 69x5, 91x3, 113x6x4
A2) Chest Supported Trap Bar Rows - 99x5, 117x10x4

B1) Drag Curls - 55x10x4
B2) DB Incline Bench - 52x10x4

C1) Cambered Bar Squats - 55x10, 121x5, 187x3, 235x6x4
C2) Ab Wheel - 5x5

54:21

Motivation was low but I put my big boy pants on and got it done. I take the first part of the CPA exam Monday so my mind is just elsewhere.

8 Likes
492

Good luck!! You got this!!

2 Likes
493

Thanks @QuadQueen! I think I did well! Iā€™ll know for sure when they release the scores in a few weeks.

Feeling a bit burnt out physically/mentally from doing the same 10ish movements week in and week out for the last ~3 months, so took an unscheduled deload this week. Only did 2 sessions and just played around with new movements I rarely/never do, trying to see if I could find good mind-muscle connection on them. Lots of landmine stuff in particular (even rigged up a very rudimentary vertical leg press using the viking handle and some cinder blocks). Next week I may pick back up with the Grey Man stuff, but I also picked up the Fortitude Training ebook and thereā€™s a 3-day full-body ā€œFamily Man Planā€ in there that looks incredibly appealing. Lots of exercise and rep range variety while still using the split I like. That may be the road I end up taking.

7 Likes
494

In a bit of a rut the past few weeks and realizing itā€™s because my training and nutrition arenā€™t really congruent. Iā€™ve apparently been in a very slight deficit; Iā€™m not tracking but Iā€™ve lost maybe 8lb in 8 months so very slow and steady. Iā€™m fine and pleased with this as I prefer to be on the leaner side. However, this doesnā€™t really gel with the bulk and power style programs Iā€™ve been running (TB Mass Protocol, 531 for Strongman, Brian Alsruhe) and the rent has finally come due. Iā€™ve been tossing and turning at night, irritable, libido is down, basically all the overreach symptoms.

So I think I have a few options since I am not willing to bump calories back up yet beyond an occasional cheat meal.

  1. Easy 531 program, like 5s Pro and getting the volume in the assistance work
  2. Bro split focusing on easier lifts like dumbbells and my home brew ā€œmachinesā€ that will be easier on recovery (basically option 1 without the main lifts)
  3. Something totally out of left field like WALRUS training or a block focused on sandbags. Something challenging but not ā€œhigh volume squat and pressā€.

Iā€™ve dropped the daily work and vest walking from my routine already in an attempt to stabilize.

4 Likes
495

Smart move.

Would always get my vote, but Iā€™m also aware that I havenā€™t touched sandbags properly for a while and I think itā€™s because Iā€™m in a similar rut to you, and Iā€™m quite likely to overboard on sandbags. If a deadlift is supposed to be very CNS demanding, every sandbag starts as a deficit deadlift, thatā€™s not on a neat balanced bar but a floppy mess.

All that said Iā€™d still be down for following along as you destroy a sandbag program.

2 Likes
496

Thanks @alex_uk. I think I have a path forward that should cover all my bases, and sure enough, itā€™s the follow-up program to the very program Iā€™ve been doing. Itā€™s almost like these coaches are smart and I should just stick to the planā€¦

12/8/25 - Tactical Barbell Bravo - Week 1/Day 1 (Push)

  1. BTN Axle Strict Press - 47x10, 65x12/12/12/12
  2. DB Incline Bench - 40x12/12/12/12
  3. Dips - BW(+1 chain)x12/12/12/8+3+1 (had to rest pause final set)
  4. Landmine Hip Belt Squats - 122x5, 166x12/12/12/12

44:32

Day 1/4 will be this push day. Day 2/5 will be a pull day with a chin/row/curl/GHR. Day 3/6 will be 10 minutes of hard conditioning with sandbags, ideally one day focused on loading and the other day focused on carrying. Need to get my act together and finish what I start, itā€™s only a 3 week block. Too much goofing off the last few weeks with no purpose.

8 Likes
497

12/9/25 - Tactical Barbell Bravo - Week 1/Day 2 (Pull)

  1. Neutral Close Grip Chins - BWx5, BW(+1 chain)x5/5/5/5
  2. T-Bar Landmine Row - 111x12/12/12/12
  3. Axle Curls - 42x12/12/12/12
  4. Nordic Leg Curl - BW(heavy band assistance)x5/5/5/5

35:22

This day is a little less daunting than the push day, but thatā€™s by design. I figure the sandbag work for conditioning will provide a bit of pull/hinge stimulus on its own.

8 Likes
498

12/10/25 - TB Bravo - Week 1/Day 3 (Conditioning)

A few warmup movements with my light stone to get the structures ready, then-

  1. Sandbag to 51" platform - 100 x 3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3/3 EMOM

14:51

I havenā€™t touched a sandbag since my comp 2 months ago and itā€™s wild how fast that specific strength disappears. I wanted to use the 150 for this but just moving it from the shed was a max effort event, so I played it smart and stayed at the 100.

11 Likes
499

If itā€™s gonna rain, it might as well pourā€¦

Caught some nasty bug and lost my voice and a bunch of weight, along with over a week of training time. Luckily the former came back on its own and the middle seems mostly back after a night out at a Mexican restaurant. The break gave me some time to think about my path forward and I think I need some large scale changes rather than the small adjustments Iā€™ve been making. The first is Iā€™m switching back to 531, but using the ā€œBusy Manā€ template rather than any of the more popular ones. This will let me make a judgement call each day about how hard to push, rather than be locked in to whatever the spreadsheet says. The 2nd is Iā€™m going to be doing the Velocity Diet Family Man version where you eat 1 solid meal a day on top of the shakes. I need a break from spending so much time in the kitchen. Iā€™d like to actually look forward to food again.

The good news - I passed the first part of the CPA Exam with a 92. I may have studied too hard hahaha.

12/22/25
Press - 45x10, 71x3, 82x2, 91x1, 102x1, 87x17
Inverted Rope Rows - BWx10x5
BSS - BW x a million (did them on a Tabata clock and switched legs each round)

25:41

11 Likes
500

12/23/25
Deadlift - 45x10, 142x5, 199x3, 228x2, 254x1, 283x1, 241x13
Fat Bar Curls - 36x11/9/6/5/5/5/5/6 (Tabata style)

21:35

And thatā€™s that. Wouldā€™ve done some push and core assistance but the plan is to bench tomorrow and squat Thursday before heading over to the GFā€™s family for a long weekend, so played it safe. Wanted more reps on the deads but also havenā€™t pulled with a straight bar in months and am still hacking up a lung, so whatever. And the tabata curls, while an egregious affront to anyone who uses tabatas for conditioning, were an awesome pump.

9 Likes
501

Nice, congrats and well done!! Was this FAR? I know a lot of people struggle there so if so, absolutely impressive!

1 Like