Took Monday off. Was feeling some side effects from the cold medicine I’d been on and wanted to err on the cautious side.
I’ve always been good about progressive overload in strength training. Less so when it comes to cardio/conditioning. Bought a Polar HRM with a chest strap a few days ago and have been using it to better calibrate my conditioning sessions and ensure that I’m stressing my system at the right rate in order to improve. For now that means working in Zone 3 for up to 40 minutes per session.
Conditioning
Weighted Airdyne
5 minutes / 1.5 miles / 36 calories
The goal is to keep my HR at or above 130 BPM, checked every quarter mile/lap. I bump up the incline by 0.5% each check until I’m consistently above 130.
30 minutes Practice
30 minutes Live Training (4 x 5 min rolls)
It’s been about a month since I’ve been on the mat, and about twice that amount since I’ve trained with any regularity before that. Six sessions in January. Two in February. Not a great pace - even if I’ve got my reasons.
Mat conditioning is pretty bad, but mat awareness isn’t much better. I still feel incredibly rusty, which should be expected but it’s still not the most fun way to spend my time on the tatame.
Currently, in 2024, my weekly training average is 0.81x (9 sessions in 11 weeks). My goal is to get that average up to 2.0x as soon as possible. Training at 2x/week, I’ll get to a cumulative 1.5x weekly average by mid-June. If I up my average to 3x/week, I can get to 2.0x a little sooner. Food for thought.
30 minutes Practice
30 minutes Live Training (4 x 5 min rolls)
Working on that weekly training average and trying to make jiu-jitsu a habit again (MJAHA). Finally starting to feel a new submission game coming into focus, as well as a new and necessary recommitment to back control to deal with the size disparities.
Two different rowers. Second was the one I usually use and I could feel a difference.
HR is generally in the upper 140s to lower 160s during these five minute sets. We train jiu-jitsu live for five minutes at a time. So I want to do some work in that time frame.
Triceps - Lying triceps crossbody extension
7 1/2 lbs x 10
12 1/2 lbs x 8
17 1/2 lbs x 8 22 1/2 lbs x 6 (!), 6 (!)
Tried another Paul Carter special. Felt a little awkward, and 22 1/2 lbs is probably too heavy for this movement right now.
Back to resistance training after about a month away. Wasn’t sure if I wanted to go with strength or hypertrophy. My body just wasn’t feeling the barbell. So I went with the latter.
Back thickness - Face pulls
7 1/2 lbs x 15
12 1/2 lbs x 10
17 1/2 lbs x 8 22 lbs x 25
Back thickness - CS pronated grip upper back row
75 lbs x 10
100 lbs x 8
125 lbs x 6 150 lbs (straps) x 8, 9 (!)
Back width - Unilateral supinated grip pulldown
45 lbs x 10
70 lbs x 8
95 lbs x 6 105 lbs x 5 1/2, 5 1/2
Back thickness - Unilateral neutral grip plate-loaded row
100 lbs x 10
125 lbs x 8
150 lbs x 6 175 lbs x 4 (!), 4 (!)
Biceps - Cable preacher curl
25 lbs x 10
35 lbs x 8
45 lbs x 6 55 lbs x 6 (!), 6 (!)
Inspired by some old posts in the CT thread to cut down my vertical pulling volume in favor of more horizontal pulling. I’m long and want to be thicker. I’m so tempted to bodybuild 4x/week with a Push/Pull/Push/Legs split to try and bring up my pecs and delts to match my back …
Got a nice compliment (and a bicep squeeze!) at the gym. That’s only happened once before, but it does seem that I have a certain “demographic” (ha! ha!). Not complaining. If I could keep everything about where it is and just lose an inch around the waist … Strange that my BP has been better than it’s been in a while (almost in the green zone), even though I feel “fat”. I’m wondering if the extra carbs over the weekend that brought me to this weight have also brought some necessary hydration …
Anyway, my primary diet strategy for the final stretch of the T-ransformation is simple: no calories after 8pm, That’s when I do 90% of the damage - sometimes eating literally minutes before going to bed. Treating bread and pasta as a cheat (i.e., one serving a week) along with my sweets. Banning nuts (my biggest weakness) until April.
Let my Paul Carter Envy get the best of me yesterday. Tried some unilateral movements that incentivized a lot more bracing than I would have preferred. The result is some pretty significant lower back soreness that kept me off the mats today. Managed to get in a morning walk (30-35 minutes Zone 2) as well as some weighted incline treadmill work. But emphasis is on recovery for the next few days.
Not 100% committed on what to do next resistance training-wise. Enjoyed a few days of hypertrophy (lower back issue not withstanding). But there’s just something satisfying about the whole body approach of systems like RPM Full Body that I miss. Maybe all I need is a Gap Day to get the bodybuilding out of my system once a week …
30 minutes Practice
30 minutes Live Training (4 x 5 minutes)
Goal is showing up and training all four Live Training rounds. Didn’t feel in sync (irregular training will do that), but a few reactions starting to fire more regularly. Worked with a couple of big white belts and a big black belt that got me thinking about those great videos of DJ Mighty Mouse Johnson at the BJJ Pans this year …
BB back squat (5/3/1 w/FSL)
bar x 10
135 lbs x 8
170 lbs x 5 185 lbs x 3 210 lbs x 3 235 lbs x 3 185 lbs x 5 x 5
BB straight leg deadlift
bar x 10
95 lbs x 8
135 lbs x 5 165 lbs x 5 x 5
Weighted abs cable crunch
42 1/2 lbs x 10
47 1/2 lbs x 20
52 1/2 lbs x 20
Going forward, I’ll look to start this session with seated leg curls as a John Meadows-inspired warmup instead of the treadmill walk. Supersetted box jumps (3x5) between squat warmup sets.
Yeah, they switched to suits several years ago. 2012 or 2013 or so. I can’t even remember what they used to wear beforehand. Maybe just black polo tops and black pants, I think. The IBJJF is a very image-conscious organization in some ways.
Took Wednesday off. Took two walks around the neighborhood for about 70 minutes of Zone 2 cardio. Devouring peanuts like a squirrel. Need to crack down on the No Nut Moratorium.
30 minutes practice (pendulum sweep from closed guard, single leg takedown, single leg takedown defense)
30 minutes Live Training (4 x 5 minutes)
A lighter Live Training session than I’ve had for awhile, which was a welcome change of pace. Worked a lot on my leg work, hooking and pressing, avoiding using any grips. It’s a great way to train every now and then.
Face pulls
17 1/2 lbs x 10
22 1/2 lbs x 8
27 1/2 lbs x 6 32 1/2 lbs x 9, 9
Ready to increase weight here after two sessions with both sets getting nine reps.
CS pronated grip upper back row
75 lbs x 10
100 lbs x 8
125 lbs x 6 150 lbs x 9 (!), 9 (!)
Going to stay here at 150 lbs until this top set flows.
Plate-loaded CS NG lat row
200 lbs x 10
250 lbs x 8 300 lbs x 4 (!) 175 lbs x 20
Really felt a drop-off in top end strength here. I’ve done 300 lbs x 6 and 320 lbs x 5 in recent weeks.
Vertical pulldown, supinated grip
75 lbs x 10 x 3
75 lbs felt heavy on first pull. 90 lbs felt nearly impossible. Decided to do straight sets.
Tricep cable pressdowns
62 1/2 lbs x 10
67 1/2 lbs x 8
72 1/2 lbs x 6 77 1/2 lbs x 4 (!), 4 (!)
Overhead tricep cable extensions
47 1/2 lbs x 8 52 1/2 lbs x 9, 9 (!)
Dropped almost two pounds overnight and felt it a bit in some of the lifts. Need to drop that initial 10-rep warmup set to save time and reduce fatigue as the BW goes down.
