FRIDAY
BW: 153.2 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
Beyond 8/6/4 W3 D2
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.58 miles / 72 calories / 10:02 minutes
Deadlift
bar x 10
BW broad jump x 5
100 lbs x 8
BW broad jump x 5
130 lbs x 6
BW broad jump x 5
160 lbs x 4
190 lbs x 4
220 lbs x 4 x 4
superset with HLRs x 8 x 4
OHP
Pullups +25 lbs x 6
bar x 10
Neutral grip chins +25 lbs x 6
65 lbs x 8
Chinups +25 lbs x 6
75 lbs x 8
Pullups +25 lbs x 6
90 lbs x 8
Neutral grip chins +25 lbs x 6
100 lbs x 8
Chinups +25 lbs x 6
Total training time = 90 minutes on the dot. Can’t ask for better than that.
Experimenting with deadlift form courtesy of some cues from Dave Tate. Banged my shins pretty good a few times trying to work on sitting back. Ended up using a 2 1/2 lbs plate under the front of each foot, which helped a lot. It’s not a lot of difference, but that inch or two in angle matters a lot.
SATURDAY
BW: 152.4 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
3.00 miles / 432 calories / 48:07 minutes
Just getting to know Dan John’s work. Thinking about his Easy Strength/40-Day Program after this round of Beyond 8/6/4. I just don’t do as well psychologically with heavier weights (>80%) as I do with submaximal weights - at least not right now. And I like the strength skill aspect of Easy Strength, with its emphasis on low sets and reps but high frequency.
Also fascinated by the idea of focusing on deadlifts, overhead presses, and loaded carries for awhile - all of which are weak points for me compared to my squat, bench, and abs strength …
SUNDAY
BW: 153.4 lbs
waist: 34"
Took the day off. Gardened/landscaped.
MONDAY
BW: 153.2 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
Beyond 8/6/4 W3 D3
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.59 miles / 76 calories / 10:03 minutes
Squat
bar x 10
BW box jump x 5
105 lbs x 8
BW box jump x 5
125 lbs x 6
BW box jump x 5
145 lbs x 4
abs crunch +25 lbs x 10
165 lbs x 8
abs crunch +25 lbs x 10
185 lbs x 6
abs crunch +25 lbs x 10
210 lbs x 4
Bench (Swiss bar)
bar x 10
neutral grip bent over row bar x 10
65 lbs x 8
row +20 lbs x 8
90 lbs x 6
row +45 lbs x 6
105 lbs x 4
row +60 lbs x 4
superset
120 lbs x 6 x 6
row +80 lbs x 6 x 6
75 minutes total training time. Had a real negatively-fueled workout on Friday, so it was nice to get back at it today. Working to shorten the rest periods so I can give myself more rest before the big lift of the day without increasing overall training time. Surprised at how much better my top set felt after about three minutes rest compared to two minutes or 90 seconds.
TUESDAY
BW: 151.2 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
3.00 miles / 432 calories / 48:01 minutes
When I look at my monthly average weight, 2022 has been a lot more successful than it seemed a few weeks ago. I’ve managed to consistently lose weight month-after-month since January. Starting at 159.04 lbs, I’ve managed to work my way slowly down to a monthly average of 152.19 lbs for June.
If I average 152.29 lbs a day for the remaining of the week, July’s monthly average will equal June’s. And while I would have liked to have made more progress and keep up a good month-after-month pace, I’m feeling good about making a push into August and getting my first sub-150 lbs monthly average in a year.
WEDNESDAY
BW: 151.0 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Beyond 8/6/4 W4 D1
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.58 miles / 71 calories / 10:02 minutes
Deadlift
65 lbs x 10
BW broad jumps x 5
115 lbs x 8
BW broad jumps x 5
145 lbs x 6
BW broad jumps x 5
175 lbs x 4
BW HLRs x 5
205 lbs x 4
BW HLRs x 5
235 lbs x 4
BW HLRs x 5
265 lbs x 4
Not the best reps. But probably the best work I’ve done north of 250 lbs. Juggling cues: sitting back, shoulders over the bar, lats packed, etc.
OHP
bar x 10
65 lbs x 8
75 lbs x 6
85 lbs x 4
95 lbs x 6 x 6
+superset w/ pullups/neutral grip/chins +25 lbs x 6 x 6
95 minutes total training time.
THURSDAY
BW: 151.0 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
3.02 miles / 445 calories / 48:02 minutes
FRIDAY
BW: 150.6 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Beyond 8/6/4 W4 D2
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.60 miles / 78 calories / 10:12 minutes
Squat
bar x 10
BW box jumps x 5
105 lbs x 8
BW box jumps x 5
125 lbs x 5
BW box jumps x 5
155 lbs x 4
Abs crunch +25 lbs x 10
175 lbs x 6
Abs crunch +25 lbs x 10
175 lbs x 6
Abs crunch +25 lbs x 10
175 lbs x 6 x 4
Bench (Swiss bar)
superset with neutral-grip bent over row
bar x 10
bar x 10
60 lbs x 8
+15 lbs x 8
75 lbs x 6
+30 lbs x 6
90 lbs x 4
+45 lbs x 4
110 lbs x 8
+65 lbs x 8
130 lbs x 6
+85 lbs x 6
140 lbs x 4
+95 lbs x 4
I wrote the row numbers as “+ pounds” since I’m not sure how heavy the bar is that I’m using. It’s maybe ten pounds, but rather than guess, I’ll just list the plate weight.
Total training time 95 minutes.
SATURDAY
BW: 149.6 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
3.02 miles / 444 calories / 48:03 minutes
July monthly BW average (based on weekly averages): 151.89 lbs (-0.30 lbs vs June; -1.69 lbs vs May).
SUNDAY
BW: 151.4 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
OFF - took a 30 minute walk to the beach and back
MONDAY
BW: 152.6 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
Beyond 8/6/4 W4 D3
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
0.58 miles / 72 calories / 10:06 minutes
Deadlift
bar x 10
BW broad jumps x 5
100 lbs x 8
BW broad jumps x 5
130 lbs x 6
BW broad jumps x 5
160 lbs x 4
BW HLRs x 5
190 lbs x 4
BW HLRs x 5
220 lbs x 4 x 4
BW HLRs x 5
OHP
bar x 10
60 lbs x 8
70 lbs x 6
80 lbs x 4
pullups +25 lbs x 6
neutral grip chins +25 lbs x 6
90 lbs x 8
chins +25 lbs x 6
100 lbs x 6
pullups +25 lbs x 6
neutral grip chins +25 lbs x 6
110 lbs x 4
chins +25 lbs x 6
90 minutes total training time.
Yesterday and today were my lowest morning weights for a Sunday and a Monday all year. Really want to make some major progress this month, My best month all year was March, when I dropped just over two pounds (monthly average). My worst month was July, when I only lost 0.3 lbs on average (April was the previous worst, with 0.34 lbs lost).
Finishing up Beyond 8/6/4 1.0 this week with some 6x6 work on the big four Wednesday and Friday. A week off to visit family on the East Coast, then back at it with a new lifting program (Easy Strength?) and a return to the mats on August 18th.
TUESDAY
BW: 150.8 lbs
waist: 33 3/4"
Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
2.25 miles / 321 calories / 36:13 minutes
Three great weigh-ins in a row. Today was the lowest Tuesday weight of the year.
WEDNESDAY
BW: 150.2 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"
Beyond 8/6/4 W5 D1
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
Bench (Swiss bar)
superset with neutral grip bent over rows
bar x 10
neutral grip bent over row bar x 10
65 lbs x 8
row +20 lbs x 8
90 lbs x 6
row +45 lbs x 6
105 lbs x 4
row +60 lbs x 4
superset
120 lbs x 6 x 6
row +80 lbs x 6 x 6
Skipped the final session of squats due to lingering groin/lower back pain. Will also skip the final session of deadlifts for the same reason. That’ll give me a few extra days to add to my week out of town to heal up.
THURSDAY
BW: 151 lbs
waist: 33 1/4"
Cardio
Incline treadmill walk
3.03 miles / 445 calories / 48:02 minutes
FRIDAY
BW: 150.4 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Beyond 8/6/4 W5 D2
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
OHP
bar x 10
65 lbs x 8
75 lbs x 6
85 lbs x 4
95 lbs x 6 x 6
superset with pullups/chins +25 lbs x 6 x 6
Still avoiding lower body work for now. So I’m crash landing the end of Beyond 8/6/4 v1. Not sure I feel as if I can give a full review of my thoughts just yet - distracted by the injury at the moment. Will take a week off for travel and then come back with a trial two-week run of Easy Strength.
Took a few videos of a practice deadlift at the end of training just to see if I could set everything up right (both the videotaping and the deadlifting). Went light. Tried to focus on siting back. Wasn’t too terrible. Will spend the next week watching Dave Tate’s deadlift videos, which have helped in the past.
SATURDAY
BW: 150 lbs
waist: 33 1/2"
Cardio
Stairmaster
10:35 minutes / 100 calories
Incline treadmill walk
1.75 miles / 216 calories / 30:06 minutes
Row sprints
2:05 minutes / 498m / 30 calories
2:07 minutes / 491m / 29 calories
2:07 minutes / 495m / 29 calories
Incline treadmill walk
1.75 miles / 216 calories / 30:06 minutes
Getting ready for a return to the mats by upping the cardio some. Tied my best weekly average weight for the year at 150.91 lbs. My goal for August is a monthly average of 150.37 lbs or less, so this is a pretty good start.
Hard to describe how much I’m looking forward to this Sunday evening. I think not since Roger Gracie v. Buchecha have I been so filled with anticipation before a contest.
I’m a Gracie Barra guy, so I’m hoping Pena beats him again. But good luck to two incredible jiu-jitsu practitioners from whom I’ve learned a ton!