Deadlift
135 lbs x 5
155 lbs x 5
185 lbs x 5
210 lbs x 5
240 lbs 5 x 5
superset with band shoulder over and backs 5 x 10
Press
bar x 10
65 lbs x 5
80 lbs x 5
90 lbs x 5
105 lbs 5 x 5
superset with pullups +25 lbs 5 x 5
I think this is the right program. I had become over-conditioned to doubles and triples and found myself digging for the fourth and fifth reps on every set after an initial rep that almost felt easy. That describes the deadlifts.
The overhead press is just too heavy. If there’s one disappointment from my stint with Easy Strength, then it might be the lack of significant gains in the press. That’s not a reflection on the program; just a part of the programming that, as I did it, didn’t work as well as hoped. I’ll turn the TM down by ten pounds here.
The pullups are another story. I should add ten pounds. Easy Strength was a huge success in this regard; my pullup strength has never been better. The feeling of being able to walk up to a bar and bust out 10 good form pullups without even thinking about it is pretty nice. Having done a +75 lb pullup with at least another rep or two in the tank was also a highlight.
I think my shoulder issue is a trap strain/sprain. Still not sure how I pulled it off overnight, but the discomfort is still a constant companion. Picked up a couple of ice packs at the drug store and will be applying them momentarily.
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 350 calories / 43:03 minutes
– BJJ Training = one 4-min drill round, one 4-min specific training round, one 6-minute Live Training round –
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 381 calories / 43:05 minutes
Shoulder/trap still hurts like hell, but movement doesn’t seem to make much of a difference so I tried a little mat time tonight. So far, so good. Some nice improvements in my back control (the step hook) and further developments in my Unified Field Theory for dealing with open guards (wedges and pins).
Tomorrow is a day off. Thursday will be like today and Friday will bring me back squats and bench presses. I haven’t done either in months!
Hey man, sorry to see the shoulder/trap issue. You mentioned it happened over night, is it possible you have a pinched nerve in your neck radiating pain into your shoulder? Like from sleeping funny?
I saw you post the McKenzie stuff for lower back last week. Have you tried the McKenzie neck stuff (like chin tucks and neck extensions) for this new issue?
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 309 calories / 43:02 minutes
Was supposed to be a day off so I just did a light walk on the treadmill while listening to Meshuggah’s The Violent Sleep of Reason and watching the 10th Planet EBI Absolute trials featuring that 16-year old kid from Long Island who’s heel-hooking everyone’s legs off.
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 382 calories / 43:09 minutes
BJJ Training
Light drilling with one of the newer white belts. No Live Training. Still waiting on shoulder to heal some. Friday morning will mark one week since the injury
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.5 miles / 386 calories / 43:02 minutes
Squat
95 lbs x 5
120 lbs x 5
145 lbs x 5
170 lbs x 5
190 lbs 5 x 5
superset with band pullaparts 5 x 10
Bench
bar x 10
75 lbs x 5
100 lbs x 5
115 lbs x 5
130 lbs 5 x 5
superset with DB rows 65 lbs 5 x 10
73 minute workout. No box jumps - every time I turn around these days the trainers are using the box as a table for their timers, water bottles, playing cards, notebooks - everything but jumping. I need to just switch to broad jumps since this seems to be happening more frequently.
Squats felt heavy, but ok. It’s been awhile since I squatted this heavy, and I think I’m still getting accustomed to it. Bench was about the same. Still using the Swiss bar. DB rows are good where they are for now.
Used 10% bodyweight and one minute rests between rounds. That was probably a little quick: (1) I’m allowed up to 30 minutes and I finished in 15 minutes, (2) I struggled with the final three reps in the fourth and fifth sets of the dips, and (3) JW says that the WALRUS workouts most of the time should be more in the “just enjoy the training and make sure everything is feeling good” range.
I’ll try 90 seconds for tomorrow’s WALRUS workout and maybe swap in push-ups for dips. I won’t have a weight vest until the new year, so I’ll just use BW pushups and do 15-20 instead of 10.
Quads are definitely feeling my return to squats. After yesterday’s squat session, this morning’s goblet squats helped keep the blood flowing in some pretty sore muscles!
Incline treadmill walk
2.51 miles / 388 calories / 43:12 minutes
Tried to do a little work today. Was able to complete Walrus with 90 second rests instead of 60 seconds. Neck/shoulder was pretty hot when I got home. Rethinking my weight training plan for November, since anything upper back right now is problematic. Really just arms and legs feel “safe”.
Looking at Huberman’s Fitness Protocol as an option for the next 3-3 1/2 weeks since I can’t really do barbell work right now.
Sun: Zone 2 cardio (60-75 minutes)
Mon: Legs
Tue: Recovery
Wed: Torso & Neck
Thu: Moderate cardio (35 minutes @ 75-80% max)
Fri: HIT cardio (8-12 rounds of 20 seconds on/10 seconds off)
Sat: Arms, Calves, Neck
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.51 miles / 388 calories / 43:12 minutes
Scale hasn’t moved much all week. Wonder if I’m holding water due to the stress of the neck/shoulder. Waistline is remaining under control, which is good. Continuing to pull back on the carbs.
Neck/shoulder ached a bit after cardio. That has me second guessing whether or not to keep doing Walrus workouts that directly impact the upper back. Feels like I’m going to be putting the “conditioning” in “strength & conditioning” for the next few weeks.
If I didn’t hate running, this would probably be a good time to give it a shot. But I hate running.
I’m thinking I made a mistake going with The Wendler Classic, which is essentially the advanced 2x/week split. The version in 5/3/1 second edition is probably more appropriate for me right now.
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.51 miles / 388 calories / 43:11 minutes
Crazy drop in BW. “Slowly, then all at once,” as the saying goes. Actually, the real quote is allegedly “gradually, then suddenly.” which reads a little less Hemingway-like than the misquote.
Taking what I hope will be the final night off the mats due to the neck issue. Current theory is pinched nerve. Week three ends tomorrow. I read that pinched nerves can resolve themselves in about a month. Here’s hoping next week is the last week of this.
Still rethinking what I want to do in the gym, what will actually compliment what I’m doing on the mat. Right now conditioning is more important than strength, so I need to make the corresponding changes. Huberman’s Protocol has definitely caught my eye as a comprehensive and still flexible solution.
Should be simple to include minimal lifts still to ‘maintain’ strength during this process though. I’m sure there’s some good article here re minimal lifting reps/sets per week.
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.51 miles / 388 calories / 43:12 minutes
Taking a mini-holiday weekend since me and Mrs. Burien Top Team haven’t had a real vacation since the spring of 2020 early in the pandemic. Hoping my neck feels good enough to start training - carefully - soon (i.e., the next week or two).
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.51 miles / 388 calories / 43:12 minutes
BJJ
12 minutes drilling
12 minutes specific training (guard/pass guard)
6 minutes live training
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.51 miles / 388 calories / 43:12 minutes
Great night of training. Made it through the entire intermediate/advanced class with little to no neck/shoulder pain. Mostly trained guard passing, toreandos, leg drags, knee slides, a lot of focus on lateral movement. Funny. I was watching a John Danaher video right before heading out to the academy and he was making this very point: lateral movement is key to advanced guard passing. Nice coincidence.
Also getting some great opportunities to train my gift wrap to back take transition. It’s become the number one way for me to get to the back. I’ve always been a mount > back guy and my back control has suffered because of it. Now I’m trying to leverage the fact that I’ve always had an affinity for taking mount into more chances to improve my attack from the back.
Extremely happy with my weight. There’s been a ton more cardio, of late, to be sure. Diet-wise, I’ve added fruits (oranges and kiwis) and removed nuts, which have long been a known-but-tolerated enemy of my attempts to keep calories low. I’m basically eating two meals: steak/lamb and oranges for lunch and chicken/fish + starch + kiwis for dinner - and two shakes (breakfast and afternoon). And bumping up the water - I’m realizing how under-hydrated I’ve been most of the time. I’ve taken in 125 ounces today (includes water and water in shakes, but not coffee) and that took a little extra effort.
1350 calories = P149 F30 C79
Looking forward to returning to weight training on Monday if things stay good neck/shoulder-wise. Will probably do a variation on the Huberman Protocol, swapping out the once-a-week HIIT training (BJJ will take care of that), and adding in more Zone 2 cardio in line with what I’m currently doing. Weight training will be Legs and Arms on Monday, Torso on Wednesday, Arms on Saturday. The Arms workouts include dips and chins, to add a second day of Torso work. Arms after Legs on Monday is based on that T-Nation article.
Cardio Incline treadmill walk
2.51 miles / 388 calories / 43:12 minutes
Also took a 30-minute walk to the beach and back with Mrs. Burien Top Team. It’s been pretty chilly out, so it was nice for things to warm up into the 50s for a change.
Continuing to work on the water. It’s a little after 8pm and I’m only at 76 ounces (60% of daily goal). Daily energy balance (less cardio) 1404 calories = P114 F49 C85
