you still training outside ? How’s the garage coming along ?
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Yep. My girlfriend has been staying over and parking in the free space so I haven’t been working on it aside from storing some pieces of equipment on the shelves (which has been a big help for organization, honestly). I’ll have it figured out before rain starts up again.
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Monday was largely a rest day. Went on a 15-minute jog in the evening for fun. indulged in leftover bison burritos from the weekend and went to bed early. Passed out hard and got 9 hours of sleep.
Boxing yesterday was awesome. I got there early and noticed I was 1 of 2 people skipping rope when the coach called it out. He said what’s up to me and mentioned people seem to be confused about the class location, which was in a different area than normal but the other room was locked so people shouldn’t have been confused (when I saw the door was locked, I came right over to room 2). I saw some regulars to this class milling about in the gym, taking their time getting wrapped or just wandering around while I jump-roped. What the hell, people? Show the coach and your class some respect.
After shadowboxing, we partnered-up and the coach paired with me. Had me throw two jabs, a feint, and a 1-2-3, eventually adding a roll to the end and rising up with a 3-2. We switched and I held for him before repeating. He kept challenging me to not step in when throwing the jab for this session and use my reach. Felt some difficulty whipping my jab out because my left shoulder in particular was sore and I had to fight a tendency like pulling my hand in for recoil before throwing it. Also got told to keep my right up higher when throwing the hook. It was by my chin but coach wanted it closer to my brow. Finally, I need to plant my feet a bit more when throwing. I used to be too flat-footed in Muay Thai and now I’m overcompensating.
After class, coach took me aside to review some of the tweaks to my form we went over today and then told me he felt my power when holding mitts.
Both of my hip flexors began hurting from moving around. This seems to have started last week when I squatted heavy Tuesday and did sprint and bear-crawl races in Wednesday’s class. They hurt until the weekend, got better, and now the pain is back. I’ll try to avoid aggravating them in class today, possibly by adopting a narrower stance.
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Yup! I see this in my Tang Soo Do classes too. People only want to do the bare minimum, to include when they have the free time available to get ready. They haven’t realized that you don’t get graded on attendance: the only way you get good is by trying hard.
Cool that your hard work is getting recognized.
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@T3hPwnisher Thanks man, and exactly. I figure you’re here at the gym or dojo for yourself and you’re paying for it. Think of yourself, if not others.
Boxing was low intensity combo trading with a partner on Wednesday, which was good for my hips. Twisting when throwing hooks was a little uncomfortable but not too bad. Ended with bag work. Had the most difficulty training abs at the end because keeping my legs elevated in the air was painful so I kept my feet planted for crunches.
Woke-up on Thursday feeling better; still a little pain if I lift either leg up, but was able to squat with a closer stance no problem.
Squats (high bar)
315 x 17
20 kettlebell pull-overs with 25 lbs
Incline bench press
195 x 7, 7, 7, 8
Super-set with lying dumbbell rows
115s x 4 x 8
Poundstone curls
30 x 100
Left shoulder is hurting. Throwing power jabs and lifting are taking their toll together. Managed to incline bench OK but will change the movement if shoulder hasn’t improved next week. Will add in more bar hangs and reintroduce Turkish get-ups. Also haven’t done band pull-aparts or facepulls in a minute.
On the plus side, got 2 more squat reps than last time. 17th rep is when the grind started and I had to really squeeze my abs tight to keep my back from folding over and there was a little bit of a good morning effect. Woke-up with my back feeling great despite that.
This morning before work I did 50 band pull-aparts and 3 Turkish get-ups with the 15 kettlebell. Hips continue to feel better; can raise my legs without any pain today.
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Boxing on Friday evening was pretty standard for that session with dumbbells, push-ups, simple combo-trading, and bagwork. Returned the next morning and registered to get my physical taken by the gym’s physician on Monday so I can start sparring.
Squats
430 x 3
Drop-down to 385x5, 315x8, 225x8, 135x8
Single-leg curls
200 x 3 x 10
Abs:
Banded ab twists x 10 each side
Hanging leg raises x 8
Ab wheel x 12 (5 kneeling, 7 standing
Legs are feeling incredibly strong but my back was the dark horse here. I went to see Alien Romulus (which kicked ass) last night and even though the theater had lounge seats, my back got stiff lying in position for so long. It didn’t feel great going in but it held up. About to go on a walk to downtown for lunch and that should do me good. The positive thing is that the most uncomfortable back days I have now are far better than how painful it used to get.
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I saw it this past Tuesday, it absolutely kicked ass. The last 20 minutes were disturbing.
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@tlgains I was NOT expecting that! I’m glad I didn’t know much about the movie going in.
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Damn mate, looking lean and mean. How are you feeling at the lighter weight ?
My man!
What’s a typical day of eating for you?
@simo74 I’m guessing you meant to type “lean and mean” but I have to admit I like “lean and man” just as much, haha. I move much better in boxing now, and while my lifts are predictably down, I’ve hit a point where I’m gaining strength again without gaining in bodyweight.
@tlgains Here’s a sample day. I usually eat the same thing during the work week everyday except for dinner.
Meal 1: 3 eggs and some liquid egg whites microwaved in a mug of bone broth, multivitamin or Biotest Superfood, Flameout fish oil pill, leftover protein shake from the night before
Meal 2 while at work: 3 eggs and some liquid egg whites microwaved in a mug of bone broth
Meal 3 (lunchbreak): 8 oz of ground bison and mixed vegetables, some sips of protein shake
Meal 4 - if pre-lifting: 4 pan-fried eggs or another egg/broth mug, handful of grass-fed steak strips, toast or steel-cut oats with berries, coffee with a little half-and-half cream
If pre-boxing: I have significantly less time on these days, so it’s usually a 2-egg mug with bone broth, protein shake, and either toast or an Amy’s organic bean and cheese burrito
Meal 5 (dinner): if I didn’t lift, steak or more eggs with a few side veggies. If post-lifting, something with carbs like ravioli or white rice paired with protein like steak or salmon
Meal 6 (30 min before bed): half a casein protein shake like Metabolic Drive or NOW unflavored casein
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Press
195 x 1
Push press
205 x 1
Press
145 x 3 x 8
Overhead shrugs
145 x 2 x 8
Neutral-grip chin-ups
Bodyweight x 10
60 x 3 x 8
Dumbbell curls
50s x 3 x 10
Heavy band pressdowns
2 x 10
Hit exactly what I aimed for on everything. 195 felt very heavy, but was surprised that 145 felt so light. It was what I was working with when I was much heavier and stronger.
Left work early yesterday and headed to the boxing gym for my physical to get cleared for sparring. The doctor had me do some simple tests for vision and shoulder health. I assumed the final test would be a fight, but he never even attacked me. I then realized the genius in this: sometimes the toughest fights are the ones that don’t exist at all. By wanting to fight, I would not truly be fighting by fighting. Walking away was the true fight. Or something.
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Nice work man!!
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@whiplash1 Thanks brother!
Tuesday: Worked with an inexperienced partner at boxing and it was a very low-intensity session of trading combos both with gloves and later with mitts, which benefits me being able to slow way down and polish my technique.
We ended with bagwork and my punching bag ended up falling off of the rafters when the carabiner exploded from a heavy right hand I threw. Coach had me ground-n-pound for the rest of the round MMA-style.
I wanted to low kick it so bad. Having a target low to the ground shifted something in my brain to go from boxing to Muay Thai.
Came home and felt the spark to do 3 rounds of hill sprints up Heart Attack Hill. Haven’t done these in awhile and my calves were sore the next day.
Wednesday: Similar to Tuesday with another slow but technical session. Trained pivots and angles by throwing a right to the body, left to the body, left to the head that we duck under, then circling around while throwing a double jab. Eventually added a cross after the jabs. Finished with bag work.
Left shoulder is still tender but feeling a little better than last week. Going to see how much difference the Swiss bar makes instead of straight bar incline benching today. Back has also been in pain this week, but better today after consistent walking and opting for laying down vs chair or couch sitting at home and during my lunch break. Also experiencing a runny nose and mild sore throat.
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Squats
315 x 17
Kettlebell pull-overs
25 x 20
Incline Swiss bar bench press
185 x 8, 9, 9
Super-set with dumbbell rows
115s x 3 x 8
1-minute chin-up
Feeling sick and wasn’t sure if I would train today. Got set-up and felt pretty dead in my warm-ups. Lately I’ve been pretty mature about walking away and saving it for the next day, but I just had too much fire burning in me and ended up having a good workout. Felt better afterwards, not depleted. Back is also feeling a bit better.
Snapped a shirtless pic after the squats and a shot of my training partner:
Ended up having crazy vivid dreams from taking 2 ZMA capsules when I woke-up at midnight to use the bathroom. I’ve taken the stuff off and on for almost 2 decades and my dream responses to it vary from normal to yeah that was a little more intense than usual, but man, it was like experiencing movies all night long this time. The most memorable: I was a hacker and ISIS was operating in my town so I broke into the electronics of their vehicles and made one of their convoys crash and explode on the freeway. Reviewing footage of the crash, however, revealed my last name in the filename of the executable I used to hack them flashing onscreen (it only made sense in the dream) and I was worried they’d find my identity. I woke-up and had to take several minutes to accept that no part of that was real.
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“Alright….andddd….I’m in!”
Lol generic hackers in movies.
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@tlgains Haha, you nailed it. If I ever make a movie, the hacker would look the part until the end when he’s the last hope so he rips off his pizza-stained nerd clothes to reveal that he’s absolutely jacked underneath and is an expert in hand-to-hand combat.
Bench press
225 x 3
275 x 3
300 x 3
Close-grip bench press
235 x 8, 8, 8
Meadows rows
90 x 10, 10, 10, 10
Incline dumbbell press
80s x 10, 10
Keg curls
160 x 12, 12
I’m at a point where I really know my body well and am picking loads that I know for a fact I can hit. 300 was the perfect amount for where I’m at right now.
Still feeling under-the-weather. Was in San Francisco with family yesterday for my cousin’s wedding party and I opted to cancel my plans to go out around town afterwards because of my congestion and head pressure. Ate so much high calorie junk food. When we arrived, I scarfed down pizza and Chinese food. People were laughing at how badly my paper plate was sagging from the weight of my portions. Afterwards, we stopped and got steak burritos from our favorite San Francisco taqueria.
Post-workout shot. Those shorts used to be tight on me.
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Mat pulls (3 mats)
500 x 5
Romanian deadlifts
315 x 2 x 8
Bulgarian split-squats
80 x 3 x 10
Barbell shrugs
315 x 20
Reverse hyper
200 x 3 x 12
Russian twists
25 x 3 x 20
15 hanging leg raises
Deadlifted in the garage for the first time. The flat ground made it feel like I was cheating. Felt very easy.
Still capping reps at 5 to keep my back feeling healthy, but I had more in me.
Going to be spending more time today cleaning the space and working on my hybrid indoor/outdoor set-up.
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I’ve started doing light Turkish get-ups before boxing, a practice I used to employ over a decade ago when I was recovering from a shoulder dislocation and going to the boxing gym in Portland.
Didn’t get around to registering for this week’s boxing classes over the weekend. Now I’m hungry for class, which is a positive sign. I’ll give myself a break from the travel and after-work prepping this week to train at home, then return next week fresh and ready to spar.
Had quite a good home session on Tuesday:
8 Turkish get-ups with 15 lb kettlebell
Heavy bag: 3 rounds, 6 minutes each
2 hill sprints
8 minute jog
Then Wednesday’s workout:
Press
135 x 3
160 x 3
180 x 4
Push press
180 x 5
Press
145 x 8, 9, 8
Chin-ups
Bodyweight x 10
60 x 3 x 8
Dumbbell skullcrushers
50s x 7, 7
35s x 10
Super-set with dumbbell curls
50s x 10, 10
35s x 10
Pushed the pace on rest times and my arms were blown up at the end. Gave some serious effort on the sets of 145, skullcrushers, and curls.
This morning before work I did a 1-minute dead hang and 50 band pull-aparts. Left shoulder is feeling better from all the rehab.
My calorie intake is also up as of this week. I may continue this route throughout fall, or I may get tired of eating again and ramp it back down. Just starting gradually again. It’s been good timing. This week at work, I’ve been making some parts deliveries to Google and the technicians have been bringing me into the cafeteria for free food. Yesterday was pork, Greek salad, and rice. Today was Indian lamb, rice, and chickpeas. It’s allowed me to leave a big serving of ground bison in the work fridge for whenever I need to eat my own lunch.
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