Woke up at 415am for no real reason. Alarm was set for 515. Debated with myself for a few minutes and just got up.
Straight Arm Pulldowns
3x15
KB Rows
5x12/arm
Rope Lat Pulldowns
4x12
Rope Row
4x12
Had no intention of lifting today, due to BJJ Class this morning. I went for it anyways. Just kept any work that would put my lower back in a tense position out of plan.. specifically the belt squat rows. Bending over like that just causes hips to be too tight for BJJ.
Decent pump. I really felt the tension on lats with rope pulls. Not sure if it’s because I had a lot of time, so I slowed down and really felt the tension.
My weight has been hanging around 230 for last month. In October, I was doing great and hit 227, but for one reason or another haven’t strung enough good days together to drop. I’ve just maintained this weight. That said, last few days have been good. I’m foot on pedal on the weight loss plan. In the past, Nov/Dec has been hard due to wanting drinks with friends, and then the office sweets or carby options that are thrown around. I’m not interested this year.
Realistically, I really really need to hit 215 by February. That would be 15lbs and should be absolutely doable. From there, I want to maintain it for a few weeks and then spend the time growing through summer. I’m slightly taller than Lovato Jr., but he fights at -99kg. Given, I’m nowhere near the pro circuit, that weight at my height would make me a freak against 5’10 slightly overweight folks who compete in that class.
Not going to lie. In a poor mood today. Ram has no interest in buying my vehicle back right now. I just handed it off to legal counsel, they’re going to pursue arbitration. I don’t expect to have my vehicle for 3-6 months now. I had a fully loaded brand new Ram. I now have a 2 year old Ford F150 XLT (entry model) that reeks of cigarette smoke.
Class was fine. One of those harder days on the mats. First two rounds were with same guy. He’s the no stripe blue belt I mentioned earlier. He actually has four, has been training four years and wrestled for 8 years. Given that, I feel way better about my performance. He’s also 12 years younger than me. We had hard two rounds. Back and forth. I kept sweeping him, but couldn’t come up on top. He either sprawled out or got his hips higher than me faster, so I conceded back to guard. I ended up in saddle at one point and tried the exit wound, but couldn’t get it before time expired.
Third round was against a purple belt. He honestly isn’t as great. He passed to my right, I took scoop grip and tried to roll over his leg to end up in saddle.. I didn’t hold his leg like an idiot, first time I didn’t do that and he just collapse on my back and got me with bow and arrow eventually. We kept going and I inverted under him and was working a knee bar. I kept inching down and almost had it, in his words, but was a bit reluctant because I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to.
Final round was against professor. He’s a closed guard magician. I did everything I knew to try and get out and couldn’t. He finally got me with a cross collar. Damn.. Afterwards I asked what I was missing for the Sao Paolo pass and he reminded me I needed his arm handcuffed from under his back. I hand my hand under his back, then head against hip and was circling, but forgot that detail. Oh well
As I type, class was probably better than it feels in my head. I just feel like I’m punching a card right now. I don’t have any good connections at class. Mostly miss the guys I used to train with. I fit in TX really well. More of a rural living, corporate middle aged dad than hippy liberal stoner or young outdoorsy where I live now.
Those hill sprints were killer. A good reminder that I need surgery to fix my nose. I can’t get much oxygen through it due to numerous broken noses and, essentially, cauliflower ear inside my nose.
I have a crazy week this week.
Monday - 6 Hours of driving for 3 hours of tours
Tuesday - 6 Hours of driving for an hour interview
Wednesday - 4 Hours of driving, will spend night
Thursday - 4 Hours of driving back home
Friday - 6 Hours of driving for a 2 hour meeting
I got a new loaner vehicle. The F150 they gave me had a jerky transmission. Now, I have a shitty Cherokee. Fortunately, it doesn’t have a mileage restriction. Next week will be 1,250 week of driving, solely for work. Not including normal putzing around town.
I won’t be able to train at my gym, and will miss belt promos on Friday. Kinda bummed, simply because it’s a new gym and want to show commitment. But, back to my old bullshit of never going to belt promos. haha
Might be able to get a session on road, on wed. I reached out to school. Just comes down to whether I get suckered into a dinner with clients.
Spent a lot of time on road in the loaner car. Could tell my back was getting tight. By Friday return drive I was in pain. Didn’t help I was white knuckling through mountains with lots of snow. The jeep was basically useless in it.
When I got home, my back was out bad.. to make matters worse we had planned on taking kids to look at Christmas lights. Spent 1:45 minutes driving aroundr. Sucky part is I had to sit forward and upright because my 2 year olds car seat is behind drive. When we got home, standing up right was painful. Could feel my spine take the weight and compress sciatica in left hip.
I 100% blame this all on a small car and long drives. It’s why I drive a truck with leg room, big seats and sitting higher.
I really was hoping to feel better, so I could train BJJ this week. Still quite a bit of pain in hips and lower back, particularly down my left leg.
I’ll try and do bar hangs and lateral raises today after work
Was thinking more about why the car put me in a bad spot. Aside from driving that many miles for that long, the Jeep is narrow and puts my hips lower than my hamstrings and forces hips into an ‘acute’ position. My left hamstring is partially attached to my knee, from tearing it when I was 17. In truck, I can sit higher and lift the back of the seat up, so my hips sit in an ‘obtuse’ angle. Similarly, my Tesla my legs/hips are basically parallel to the ground, with lots of leg room for legs to sit straight out. Reasons why I have done long roadtrips in both without issues.
Back is still achy as heck. Can move around a bit better, but muscles in legs are very tight and lower back will lock up at times if I get up wrong.
Thinking through the last year (2025). Talk about wild. I ended 2024 on six weeks of paternity leave. Returned to work on 1/6, to being let go. Had six weeks to find another role at company. Two days before my deadline, I was offered a new job that was a step down level-wise. All that while, I was prepping for two super fights, in BJJ and had dropped weight to make 222 with intent of making run for Worlds in Vegas. I worked in that role for nearly 8 weeks, when I took a new job out of state back in my original field, as a part owner. Fully moved by mid-June. Training was going great through October, was feeling strong and leaner. Then popped my rib out and lost most motivation for 8 weeks. Came back end of November and motivation has been weak. I need to set a hard goal and pick it up for January.
Most of my issues are around food in morning. Scone or biscuits and gravy with a coffee, washed down with protein shake. Essentially around 1,000 cals for breakfast. Need to clean this shit up and get back to it.
Appreciate this! Today’s first day back at office. Here today and tomorrow, then off until next monday. I really desperately need to find a midday solution. I get very hungry at 11a. If I go to bjj, then I can curb that hunger until dinner time. The other 3 days a week, I’m hosed and end up ordering something.
Sunday
Woke up at 5a, went for a weight vest walk down my street and back.
High Incline Bench
10x135, 10x155, 7x175, 5x3x190lbs
Dips
3x12
Incline KB Bench
3x12x60lb
Went up to top of butte behind me with weighted vest. One of my kids wanted to do it. Was super nice, I hadn’t climbed up there since summer.
That’s right. I got a dip bar, finally! I had debated by a whole new squat rack. Actually, I almost pulled trigger 500 times. I decided to just spend $80 and get a dip bar off amazon instead and not disrupt my home gym flow and try and offload my yoke.
Back is marginally better. I got another chest workout in on Christmas morning. I’ll try and shoulders/upperback tonight.
My wife knew I wanted to try one of those smart rings out, but I also don’t wear my wedding ring because it annoys the hell out of me. She found a knock off version at TJMaxx for like $50. For being a knock off, it’s a fairly legit setup and works well. Starting to track heart rate, sleep and steps now.
Sleep has been shit for last week. My baby has been waking up around 2 or 3 and not going back to sleep until 5 or 6. Which is when I have to get up. Last night she woke up at 2, I went back to bed at 430 and slept until 6. I got just under 6 hours of sleep.
Just the dip portion. I have a pull-up bar already so didn’t want to spend the extra on it. Being I workout at home, I’m really selective on what I buy. In that it has to have multiple functions. The only exception is my leg extension machine, but I just find that’s the only really good way to hit quads.
I forgot to mention I did a lot of leg raises after my workout, which was great for two reasons: 1. I like another way to do ab work, 2. this is the first time I’ve done ab work since my rib slipping.
I also really like the idea of doing holds and L sits from this position, more along the lines of gymnastic style training.
Cold night, was pretty numb just walking. Felt good tho, clear night with lots of stars. It’s kind of the perfect walk, because it’s all downhill to start. So I can walk until I’m tired, then turn around and have to face the hardest part.
Last night’s sleep was unbelievable. I got just shy of 9 hours, didn’t wake up and half of it was deep sleep. I had two non-alcoholic cocktails that have a bit of THC and lots of CBD. There is no buzz or high, per se. Just calm. I finished workout around 930, and was out by 939.
I’m off work W-Su and back next Monday to regular life. Back overall feels good. I don’t have any pain, UNTIL I bend over or put my lower back/hips in a position where they bear weight. I’m going to give myself rest of week off from BJJ and hit it hard next year.
The last 3 months have been really hard and feel like I’m coming out of it from a motivation perspective. I think it’s due to kids in school for first time vs. home school, finding a new rhythm in new state and spending 8 weeks hurt with rib out (end of September- mid-November).
I’m afraid to weigh myself. I’m likely mid to higher 230s. I’ll weigh myself on the first. Until then, diet and training is back on track.
I need to look at my 1/1/25 posts, because despite the end of year sucking, I feel like I’m added quite a bit of muscle on my back, lats and legs.
Will update more on Monday.. but depressing to see how far I’ve gone since April. I was in better shape in August, just didn’t snap photos. Here’s April, before I moved across country (again) to run a business.
Appreciate the vote of confidence and following along!
Thursday
BIL was in town who is coincidentally the same height and mostly same strength level as me. We got after it with chest.
Friday
BIL and I hit back and conditioning. Including carrying KBs, med balls and kegs up and down the hill. Bit of fun competition
Saturday
I hit shoulders, worked up to two singles at 175 seated. Then up and down hill with KBs
Sunday
Did 10 sets of leg extensions, then up and down hill with KBs. Lots of mobility work, since today I plan on going to BJJ.
I had more thoughts over weekend, but didn’t want to open computer. Whenever I do, I end up working instead. I can’t quite remember all my thoughts, but put a countdown on my phone for February 28th. It’s an ambitious goal, but want to be at 218 by then. Made good food choices all weekend, definitely under calories each day.
After debating this for forever, I read enough posts on here from @s.gentz and others and I ordered Retatrutide. I took first dose on Saturday.. Definitely feeling the effects somewhat immediately. My whole life I have had a problem where I don’t get full and could eat until I got bored or something else came up. I feel full after my child’s sized portion.
Mornings are usually the worst for me. I can immediately cut out 1,000 calories a day, by not eating donuts for breakfast and then only eating half the tub of my ice cream creami at night. Switching donuts for a core power shake. Lunch is still a bit difficult, as I live in a small isolated area that has every fast food chain and 30 Mexican restaurants. Not a single steak house. Today will be simpler, because BJJ is during lunch hour. Might need to start prepping meat the night before.
Perfect. 1mg is typical starting dose but less is better.
Couple weeks you will full effects.
Last time I used it I ran 1mg for about 11 weeks before I felt the need to increase. I went to 2mg but it was too much so went down to 1.5mg and finished out my diet.
When you ant to go up just go .5mg at a time and stay there for four weeks min so your body adjusts. Wouldn’t hurt to take fiber and a probiotic a well.
How do you know when it’s too much? This morning, I had two 42P Core Power Shakes. One at 8a, the second at 1030a. I then went to BJJ and trained for 2 hours, before ending work, picking up kids and eating dinner at 9p. Could barely finish last bite of sushi I was so stuffed.
Monday
Morning Weight: 232
First day back at BJJ. Another one of those days when I feel like shit when I leave.
We are covering guard passing. I suck at guard passing. Felt dumb going through drilling. Fortunately, I was partnered with a brown belt who was very very helpful.
I got four rounds in today. First was newer white belt. I usually let him work, but he got cocky. I Adam Ward’esque foot swept him and he landed on ass hard. Took mount and got him with a cross collar choke. Got him good too, he choked. Then swept him quick and easy and got side control. He was trying to frame well, he’s definitely improving. I let him get underhook both undercooks, as it freed up his neck. I then grabbed his lapel tight on near side, leaned forward and threw leg over to other side of head for immediate Canto choke. Third sub, I got him with a triangle, after scrambling to retain guard from bottom side. I bumped him hard, inverted and landed to my surprise in a triangle that I just locked feet on
Second round was Renzo Black Belt. He fucked me up properly. Subbed me twice. I nearly got him on a tripod sweep, but he hip switched so fast. Afterwards he told me he felt it coming. Damn good black belts. I was in bottom North South for a long time. I kept fighting sub attempts. He finally got me in an arm bar after surviving a kimura, leg Americana and triangle attempt.
Back with first guy. I just continued to fuck him up, but let him start in side control. I got him with another cross collar choke from mount
Head Prof called me out. I got walloped. Only highlight is that he had me dead to rights in a bow and arrow. I had the presence of mind to tuck chin, then deal with his leg used on lower half of the ‘bow’, then kicked legs free and dealt with his hands. Downside is he transitioned into a shotgun arm bar.
Feedback from head prof is that I need to give up on a battle, to position myself better for the next battle. eg., framing hard when my guard is about to be passed and exhausting myself, instead of letting frames go, but leveraging arm position for undercooks and knee position. Fair point. He did say I have great movement..
Still feel like I’m punching card. Show up, put work in, leave. No real connection with guys there. Miss my old-old gym.
You will feel like vrap. Nauseous, completely uninterested in eating. They key here is to take enough to calm the food noise and help control eating, not to crush your appetite and not be able to get your food in.
If you feel full then it’s time to stop. No need to eat every last bite unless you are eating to grow. This is a good training tool to teach us how to eat properly.
Are you tracking/weighing foods or just trying to eat intuitively?
