Burien Top Team | Training Log

Training Training Logs
662

TUESDAY

BW: 154.2 lbs
waist: 33"

Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
2.0 miles / 245 calories / 35:01 minutes

Really not in a mood to do cardio. Set up the iPad, the iPhone, and the Airpods but didn’t even bother using any of it. Just plodded on for about half an hour. Watched a John Meadows video tonight on finding your motivation. He’s somebody I really enjoy listening to and learning from.

Curious if having no carbs in my pre-workout had an effect on Monday’s performance. Switched up my regular meal to see if taking the carbs out and saving them for peri and post workout would give me an edge. Certainly didn’t feel like it - even if I topped the previous rep counts. Going back to carbs pre, peri, and post tomorrow.

I also need to train earlier in the day. I’m getting jammed up trying to time my sessions so that they end right before dinner. It’s making me cut my sessions short and I’m always late for dinner. No reason why I can’t stick to the ABA BAB original script - I should save the somewhat milder press/pull/leg split version for when I’m doing both weights and BJJ.

663

WEDNESDAY

BW: 154.2 lbs
waist: 33"

DC by DB “Pull Day”

Another week of somewhat scrambled DC training. Essentially did the second half of my “A” day (back width and back thickness) with some rear and lateral delt work to start off. Will do a straight “B” day on Friday (biceps, forearms, calves, posterior chain, quads).

Rear delts (Band pull-aparts)
Green band 3 sets of 25

(Bent over laterals)
10s (max reps) 30
25s (max reps) 15

Side delts (Standing laterals)
5s 3 sets of 25
10s (RP) 21 + 12 + 11 = 44 reps

Topped last trip’s weird count by seven.

Back width (DB pullovers)
10s 2 sets of 25
25s (RP) 20 + 10 + 7 = 37

Topped last trip’s count by seven.

Back thickness (DB rows)
25s 2 sets of 25
45s (max reps) Right: 20 Left: 20

Might have had another rep or two in the tank on the left side.

A good session - a little less time-constrained. Hard to tell if bringing back the carbs pre-workout helped. But I’m going to stick with it in no small part because carbs are simply wonderful.

Day off from work tomorrow. The company I work for is asking us to take as much of our vacation now as we can for some sort of financial help-save-the-conglomerate move I don’t quite understand, but am happy to execute. I’ll put a few miles on the treadmill, but that’s likely about it.

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664

Looks like you’re doing things the right way man.
It’s all about beating those previous numbers, if even by one you’ve become stronger.
Well done.
Cardio is so non motivating as it can be. I do some walks outside in a nearby forest well maybe it’s to small to be called a forest but there are trees and a little pond. Some animals to see if you’re lucky. That’s a bit more motivating than the treadmill

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665

It’s hardest for me in the beginning. Once I get going - after a mile or so - I’m usually ok. It just takes me so long to get warmed up …

And I am in the garage - which is fine under the circumstances - but a little dreary.

666

THURSDAY

BW: 153.0 lbs / 69.4 kg
waist: 33 1/4"

Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 320 calories / 43:48 minutes

Day off from work today. A little cardio and getting the Power Tower ready for a spin (most likely Monday’s workout) have been pretty much all I’ve accomplished today. Will do DC by DB “B” Block v.1 (biceps, forearms, calves, posterior chain, quads) tomorrow on Friday.

667

FRIDAY

BW: 153.6 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"

DC by DB - “B” Block v.1

Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.5 miles / 62 calories / 9:01 minutes

Seated Alt curls
10s (SS) 2 sets of 25
25s (RP) 25 + 8 + 10* = 43 reps

Beat last trip’s rep count by one.

Pinwheel curls
10s (SS) 2 sets of 25
25s (Max) 25 reps

Beat last trip’s rep count by four.

Standing calf raises
45s (SS) 5 sets of 10

Rigged a setup using the big red band and my Power Tower to help maintain my balance. Helped a bit.

DB RDLs
45s (SS) 5 sets of 5

The two sets of 25 with the 25s were good enough work, but not very heavy. These felt a bit better on the weight, but maybe the reps were too few. Still working on it. Maybe 4 sets of 8 next time, then follow the split squats on set/rep progression.

DB split squats
25s (SS) 4 sets of 8

Better than 2 sets of broken-to-bits 25. Going to work the volume up to 5 sets of 10 over the next few sessions.

Another week in the books. Treated myself to some BBQ ribs (delivery) for a post workout meal after a week that felt longer than usual. Not bad, but I’m really looking forward to Mrs. Burien Top Team’s Greek Hamburgers tomorrow night.

Ready to start DC by DB 3.0 on Monday. I’ve got three versions of both the “A” and “B” blocks figured out between my DBs, bands, adjustable bench, and Power Tower. I’ll run this at least through my 53rd birthday on June 1 - and send my Transformation photo in immediately after that session (BEFORE birthday dinner).

Need to focus more on the extended stretching, emphasizing the eccentric, and - for lack of a better word - not rushing things. I’m also moving my weight training to earlier in the day (before lunch instead of before dinner) and see if that’s a better fit.

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668

SATURDAY

BW: 154.6 lbs
waist: 33"

Cardio/Conditioning Day

TC Luoma’s 20 Minute KB Circuit
20 minutes
21 sets of 6-rep 25 lb one-arm DB swings
15 seconds btw sets

Second Saturday with this routine. Going to make it my go-to Saturday conditioning program to give me a break from the treadmill.

669

You could just shoot for 50 reps in as few sets as possible, then just try to do it in fewer sets.

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670

I like this idea. It also makes it easier to train to failure sooner. Maybe I’ll do that with the split squats, as well. 50 reps in as few sets as possible.

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671

CT always talks about how Chinese weightlifters incorporate a lot of bodybuilding into their training and often have great physiques to go with their explosive lifting power. Then I stumbled across this video earlier today which underscores CT’s point vividly.

672

MONDAY

BW: 157.2 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"

DC by DB - “A” Block v.2

Chest
Pushups
BW (SS) 4 sets of 25
Green band (RP) 20 + 13 + 8 = 41

+7 over last session

Shoulders
DB high pull
10s (SS) 2 sets of 25
One arm DB high pull
25 lbs (Max) 21 reps

+2 over last session

Triceps
Pressdowns
Green band (SS) 3 sets of 25

Absolutely AWESOME stretch after these. I’ve been slacking on the stretches so I wanted to get off to a better start this week. Wow. Good stuff here.

Back width
Straight arm pulldowns
Green band (SS) 3 sets of 25

Back thickness
Bent over rows
Big red band (SS) 3 sets of 25

45 minutes total time

Good workout today. Even though I’m in the garage, I think the fact that it’s warming and brightening up a bit outside is making these garage workouts a little less … well, “dreary” is the word I’ve been using. If I was a decade or two younger, I’d consider opening up the garage door and doing my session with a little sunlight and spring breezes …

I wonder how many folks have started to get used to their home gym and are considering sticking with it when gyms re-open. Wendler calls the building of his home gym one of the greatest decisions he’s ever made. Food for thought.

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673

TUESDAY

BW: 156.6 lbs
waist: 33 12"

Feeling a little fat this morning. Could be the carbs. Tuesday morning is often my heaviest weigh-in because it comes on the heels of three out of four days of above average calorie/carb consumption (Friday and Monday are training days; Saturday is a family dinner day). I try and pull back on Sunday but I think I’m going to have to make an even bigger effort to keep calories down that day. Maybe a fast between the end of dinner on Saturday (typically about 7:45pm) and the beginning of dinner on Sunday (5:30pm or so) is worth a shot …

Cardio / Conditioning Day

Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 261 calories / 45:31 minutes

A fairly light session for me. Sore toe kept me from my usual incline and pace, so I toned the intensity down a little and just tried to burn a few calories.

DC by DB “B” Block v.2 tomorrow: biceps, forearms, calves, hamstrings, quads. Bringing pullups/chins back into my life starting tomorrow!

674

WEDNESDAY

BW: 155.6 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"

Still feeling chubby and a little bloated. Backed off the carbs a bit today.

DC by DB - “B” Block v.2

Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.5 miles / 62 miles / 10:01 minutes

Biceps
Standing DB curls
10s (SS) 4 sets of 25
BW wide-grip chins
(SS) 2 sets of 6
BW+25 lbs wide-grip chins
(RP) 7 + 4 + 3 = 14 reps

Actually felt a little anxious doing the weighted chins on the new Power Tower. But the structure held just fine. Now that it’s broken in a bit, I’m curious to see how the next session goes.

Forearms
Hammer curls
10s (SS) 4 sets of 25
25s (RP) 15 + 10 + 9 = 34 reps

Planned to just do a max rep set but felt like I had too much left in the tank after the first 15. So I decided to RP it. Muito melhor.

Calves
Seated calf raises
45s (SS) 50 reps

Hams/Glutes
Hip thrust
45 lbs (SS) 2 sets of 25

Quads
Goblet squat
45 lbs (SS) 2 sets of 25

675

I straight up felt like that dude doing the crunches/Russian twists was the most impressive. First of all, fuck having a plate on your chest or above you - a weight behind your head is the most brutal way to do crunches, since you’re adding weight to the furthest part of the lever (same with plates behind the head on hypers on the roman chair), but to bust out that many with that much weight and then go into weighted Russian twists? dasfkjldsa;fsadlj THE PAIN

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676

It seemed like they approached the bodybuilding work the same way they approach their weightlifting, which I probably should have expected. Not a lot of time on the eccentric or with static holds or any of that stuff.

Definitely agree about that lever and the abs work - yikes!

677

THURSDAY

BW: 155.4 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"

Still feeling floaty and bloaty … weight continuing to trend down a bit, but waist is still stubbornly thick. Not zeroing out carbs, but edging them lower each day.

Cardio / Conditioning Day

Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 311 calories / 46:01 minutes

Plodded out some miles today. Felt heavy and sluggish until about the final half mile or so. Looking forward to taking it easy tonight.

DC by DB “A” Block v.3 tomorrow: chest, shoulders, triceps, back width, and back thickness a la weighted dips, rear/lateral delts, DB overhead triceps extensions, wide grip pullups, and seated band horizontal rows.

678

FRIDAY

BW: 154.8 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"

Feeling a little less balloon-like today. Whew … I’ve been thinking about trying out the Vertical Diet for May. Still on that track for now.

DC by DB - “A” Block v.3

Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
1.0 miles / 125 calories / 19:07 minutes

Chest
Standing horizontal press
Green band (SS) 3 sets of 25
BW Dips (SS) 2 sets of 6
BW+25 lbs Dips (RP) 12 + 6 + 3* = 21 reps

Actually had a longer than usual break between the second and third RP sets to respond to a delivery of pork teriyaki. Managed six reps; giving myself credit for three.

Rear delts
Band pull aparts
Green band (SS) 3 sets of 25
Bend over laterals
10s (Max) 30 reps
25s (Max) 15 reps

Thinking about setting up the incline bench and doing one of the sets (probably the lighter DB set) chest-supported.

Side delts

Yikes! Totally forgot to do these! I’ll get them tomorrow before cardio.

Triceps
DB overhead extensions
10s 2 sets of 25
25s (RP) 10 + 4 + 4 = 18 reps

+3 over last session.

Back width
Wide grip pullups
BW 2 sets of 6
BW+25 lbs (RP) 6 + 2 + 1 = 9 reps

There difference between my narrow grip chins and my wide grip pullups is significant. Probably don’t need to be doing these weighted since I was only able to get 9 total reps. If I can’t get 11 reps next time, I’ll consider it going BW only and pushing the volume.

Back thickness
Seated horizontal rows
Big red band 3 sets of 30

Added a 2-count iso hold on the end of each rep.

Good session to end the week - even if I forgot the laterals. 80 minutes start to finish - including warmup (about an hour of actual lifting).

679

SATURDAY

BW: 153.6 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"

Cardio / Conditioning Day

Side delts (missed in yesterday’s workout)
Standing lateral raises
5s (SS) 3 sets of 25
10s (RP) 36 + 12 + 11 = 59

+15 over W 4/22

Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
3.5 miles / 425 calories / 60:50 minutes

Goals for May
Weight daily average < 154.6 lbs
Waist < 33"
Weekly cardio = 1200 calories

Gyms closed through May 31 is the latest update for our area. Given my minimum 30 day buffer, the earliest I would be back at the gym is July 1. Will do another month of DC by DB, and see if they add another 30 days on the first of June.

680

Just checking out news from Henry Cejudo (UFC Bantamweight champion) on his recently completed training camp for UFC 249.

Began camp:
154.1 lbs 16.5% BF 128.7 lbs LBM 25.4 lbs Fat mass

12 weeks later

Ended camp:
150.6 lbs 12.0% BF 132.5 lbs LBM 18.1 lbs Fat mass

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_qpv4RjCT5/?utm_source=ig_embed

He’ll cut down to 135 from here during fight week. But I found these post-camp data points interesting insofar as we’re both the same size and have similar body type preferences/demands (i.e., MMA fighter, wrestler as opposed to pure bodybuilder or powerlifter). He is right now where I want to be for the T-ransformation Finale in less than 30 days.

This represents a nice combination of gradually losing fat and gaining muscle over decent period to arrive at a sustainable (12%) BF. And since it was a training camp, there was a lot of technical skill development going on at the same time (not just eat, sleep, S&C).

681

MONDAY

BW: 157.0 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"

DC by DB “B” Block v3a

Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.5 miles / 61 calories / 10 minutes

Biceps
Standing drag curl
Green band (SS) 3 sets of 25

Forearms/Brachialis
Neutral grip pullups
BW (SS) 2 sets of 6
BW+25 lbs (RP) 7 + 4 + 3 = 14 reps

Ran out of time again today so I had to cut the session short. Up late last night doing some work for Monday and accompanied that extra effort with far too many late night carbs. Ugh. Paying for it a little today. Will get the second half of this (calves, hams, quads) tomorrow.