Progress
Weight (begin/end): 153.4 lbs / 152.6 lbs
Waist (begin/end): 34" / 34"
Total steps/Daily average steps: 76.7k+ / 10.9k+
Training
Strength: 2 hrs
Conditioning: 1 hr
BJJ: 1 hr
“Conditioning” does not include my morning walks, which are a decent Zone 2 for 30 minutes / 4,000 steps with about 20% of those steps on a 10% grade/incline.
Call it a “soft launch.” Pleased with the BW and waist - though getting to 33" is probably going to take another 5-6 lbs of weight loss. I’m at that point that Dave Tate and CT talk about in the weight loss journey where the fat storage is at its most unattractive even as it is less than it was a week or two ago.
Looking to increase each training number by one this week: 3 strength training sessions, 2 conditioning and jiu-jitsu sessions (all sessions are about an hour so 1 hr = 1 session generally). Also looking to forge a few new habits, including getting to bed consistently before 11pm, switching to low fat instead of low carb in terms of dieting, and really working to shore up my physical weaknesses in terms of appearance (biceps/triceps), performance (lower back) and both (delts).
Warmup - Incline treadmill walk
10 min / 67 calories / 0.55 miles
Squat (M) as Paused BB back squat
bar x 10 / 95 lbs x 8
10 minutes EMOM 140 lbs x 4
Long pauses in the hole, 3 seconds or more, really making it count.
Horizontal pull (H) as Chest-supported plate-loaded NG grip seated row
50 lbs x 10 / 90 lbs x 8 / 145 lbs x 5
3 minutes EMOM 185 lbs x 3
7 minutes EMOM 225 lbs x 3
Reps felt very light for most of the workout. Kept making jumps to find the right poundage. Feels like if I can move it a little, I can move it a lot. #longlevers
Horizontal push (L) as Incline DB press
20s x 10 / 30s x 8
5 minutes EMOM 35s x 5
5 minutes EMOM 40s x 5
Also feeling around for the right weight - in this case, seeing what my rotator cuff will put up with. Dave’s Daily Delts seem to be helping, and I’m going nice and light with long, 5-count eccentrics.
Still working on my mat conditioning. But I’m in for every roll. Interestingly, unlike my Seattle academy where there were tons of smaller guys, I’m pretty much the smallest adult male in both classes I’ve taken so far. That’s going to change a lot of what I do; I’ve already rolled with two guys with necks as thick as my thighs!
I’m anticipating a lot of this in my future (inshallah …)
Deadlift (H) as Rack pull
95 lbs x 3 / 135 lbs x 3 / 185 lbs x 3
10 minutes EMOM 225 lbs x 3
Switched to these to emphasize posterior chain. Used straps on the last eight sets. Still leveraging CT’s insights on limb length. Weight was in the right place. Will build from here.
Vertical pull (L) as BW NG chins
10 minutes EMOM BW x 5
First time in a long time that I’ve managed to complete 10 sets of five. Was not easy. Doesn’t hurt to be closer to 150 lbs than 155 lbs.
Vertical push (M) as Seated high incline Smith machine press
+25 lbs x 10 / +45 lbs x 8
10 minutes EMOM +65 lbs x 4
These felt about right. Final sets were tough.
AMPK Day tomorrow. I’m giving myself two AMPK/recovery days a week now that I’m back on the mat. I’m also going to just do RPM Full Body 3x/week. Trying to take recovery more seriously.
Contributing to a conversation on @raven78 's page got me thinking. In what ways is BTT 2024 better than BTT 2017, who started this training log six years ago?
In jiu-jitsu terms, I think the answer is most clear. I’ve definitely become better as a jiu-jitsu practioner over the past six years - even with the 2 years+ lost to COVID. I’d beat my earlier self far often than not.
But in terms of LBM, in terms of overall athleticism, in terms of raw strength, in terms of work capacity (my current focus), would modern day BTT still rival 2017 BTT? I’m not 100% sure. In terms of hypertrophy, do I look significantly better than I did then?
Wiser, I’d like to believe. Stronger? I’m not so sure. I’ve been tempted to chase my all-time PRs in the Big Three just to see but, again, intentions …
Squat (L) as Zercher squat
bar x 10 / 85 lbs x 8
10 minutes EMOM 125 lbs x 5
A well-padded bar helps a lot vs my skinny snakes. Going to end up looking like Popeye with this forearm-to-bicep ratio …
Horizontal pull (M) Chest supported Upper grip Pronated row
75 lbs x 10 / 105 lbs x 8
10 minutes EMOM 135 lbs x 4
All about the upper back right now. Thickness. Thickness. Thickness.
Horizontal push (H) Seated machine chest press
75 lbs x 10 / 105 lbs x 8
10 minutes EMOM 125 lbs x 3
Focusing on the rocking motion a la Mike Van Wyck, treating the chest press as the opposite of the row. Trying to use traditional pronated grips as much as possible to test the shoulder. So far, so good.
Random thoughts on strength equivalents:
OHP 135 lbs 1RM = 120 lbs x 5
Bench 225 lbs 1 RM = 200 lbs x 5
Squat 315 lbs 1 RM = 280 lbs x 5
Deadlift 405 lbs 1 RM = 360 lbs x 5
BJJ Training
Warmup, Instruction, Drills: 30 minutes
Live Training (3 rolls): 15 minutes
Still suffering from sub-par conditioning. In truth, I’m training harder than I was in Seattle in some ways (consistently larger partners, including brown and black belts). As such, by my third round, I was pretty exhausted.
There’s more to this than conditioning. I’m trying to adjust my game to my new environment and there’s a lot of wearying trial and error. I’m like an explorer with a piss-poor map of the current terrain. So I’ve got some wandering to do.
One decision I’m going to reverse is the emphasis on toreando passing. I’ll continue to train that whenever I get someone who is relatively new or close to my size. But I’m not feeling it against these larger guys.
In the past, whenever I encountered a really tough guard, I’d go with an over/under pass a la Murilo Santana. I might have to take up that winner once again.
Took both my morning and afternoon walks through the neighborhood. About 9k steps, 70-75 minutes total, with enough 10%+ grade inclines to make it worthy.
Having hit 150 lbs about two weeks ahead of schedule, my goal is to try and maintain here until mid-to-late February before a push down to 145 lbs over the final three months into the T-ransformation finale.
Very much appreciating the direction @raven78’s training has taken. Six years later, I’m back to where I started: what training will best support my jiu-jitsu? I’m still considering dancing partners for that March-April-May stretch after RPM Full Body. Could it be you, Con Clavi Con Dio?
Whereas I’ve thrown in some BJJ as something new to learn, and hoping junior takes it up for some self defence skills. All whilst monitoring volume and recovery… ah the delicate balance of it all…!
Took some time away from the gym over the holiday, but managed to keep the step count high - at least on average.
RPM Full Body 2.0, Wave 2, Day 9
Warmup
Incline treadmill walk
10 minutes / 65 calories
Deadlift (M) as Snatch-grip conventional
95 lbs x 5 / 135 lbs x 4 / 160 lbs x 3
10 minutes EMOM 185 lbs x 4
Vertical pull (H) as Weighted pullup
10 minutes EMOM +10 lbs x 3
This felt far closer to a (L) version than a (H) version. Muscle endurance is more of an issue than strength with the V-pulls, it seems. The current (L) version has me using BW NG chins, my strongest variation, and I only (and finally) managed to get five reps across all ten sets in my most recent effort.
May try (H) BW NG chins x 5 (M) Weighted chins x 4 (L) Weighted pullups x 3. Goes against the RPM Full Body rep scheme. But might better fit my challenges with V-pulls.
Vertical push (L) as Seated DB Arnold press
15s x 10 / 20s x 8
10 minutes EMOM 25s x 5
These felt pretty good. Thanks to Dave’s Daily Delts, I’ve gotta believe … Will bump this weight up a bit for 2.3.x
Gym Sounds Update: Missed this album when it came out in the fall of 2022. I’m killing it in 2024.
Making sure you are well hydrated can help a lot - especially if you are training in the gi. I typically get calf cramps a few minutes into Live Training if I haven’t hydrated well.
W/re2 electrolytes, sodium may be an issue. It could also be potassium, especially where cramps are concerned.
Warmup - Incline treadmill walk
10 minutes / 65 calories
Squat (H) as BB back squat
bar x 10 / 95 lbs x 8 / 135 lbs x 5
10 minutes EMOM 170 lbs x 3
Horizontal pull (L) as Seated CT 4-count low row
30 lbs x 10 / 40 lbs x 8
10 minutes EMOM 50 lbs x 5
Horizontal push (M) as Smith machine 1-plate incline bench press
bar x 10 / 70 lbs x 8 / 95 lbs x5
10 minutes EMOM 115 lbs x 4
These were pretty stout. A lot of that was thinking about my shoulder. But no set was in danger of failure. Very grateful for Dave’s Daily Delts this year, fortifying those rotator cuffs …
BJJ tomorrow. Haven’t trained in a week and still feel as if I am made of rust. Need to make sure I’m training with intentionality. The biggest secret when it comes to jiu-jitsu “conditioning” is that movement efficiency > VO2 max. That’s the reason some of these folks can roll all day; it’s not that they are better athletes, it’s that they are not wasting energy with non-intentional movement. I’ve known guys who probably couldn’t make it around the track more than once who can grapple all day and all night.
This might be something to keep in mind, @raven78 , as you continue in your jiu-jitsu journey.
I’m the shortest and probably lightest BW in the class. So tough to grapple to get anyone onto the ground, much more practice here required. Especially coming from zero base re fighting/grappling.
Appreciate the tips! I can see I’ll be needing a lot of work on takedowns too in coming months.
Happy to offer any help that I can! I’m also the smallest/lightest in my new gym - and probably the oldest, as well. I’ve been channeling my inner Helio Gracie to cope! (j/k)
BJJ Training
Warmup, Instruction, Drills: 30 minutes
Live Training (4 rolls): 20 minutes
Variety of work today, including more light work with some blue and white belts closer to my size. Great conversation with one of the other black belts afterwards. I think I’m really going to enjoy training with these folks.
