Mattjp's Training Log

Training Training Logs
1243

@mortdk cheers I’ll check that out. Apparently RunKeeper is having issues with the way Samsung treats background apps, so maybe they’ll sort it.

@simo74 going to add weight rather than reps to pressups to try and push that max strength range in weeks 6-8 of this block. I might keep a Strength Endurance day in with pressups, though. I don’t really want to, but that strikes me as a good reason to do it when training is concerned.

Tuesday, 19 May

Weighed in at 227.4 today.

Run wound up being run-walk intervals today for the first time in ages. Just wasn’t able to get it going; not sure if it was mental or physical or external. Hot and humid today, which didn’t help. I’m absolutely useless at moving in heat. Fortunately, living in Dublin means that doesn’t come up too often.

One positive to take from it is that in the first 30 minutes, which was basically a 60/40 run/walk mix, I covered 2.5 miles. That’s the exact same time/distance covered in the very first run I did back in March, so good to see improvement there even if today’s session didn’t go to plan.

Just one of those days again, but happy overall with how progression is going despite the odd blip.

4 Likes
1244

This. Why not have both, a day with weighted push ups and a day where you increase your max number. Hell you could just do a max number every morning when you wake up. My dad does that and he is 73, what’s your excuse :wink:

1245

43 fewer years to practice pressups.

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1246

Touché my friend touché

1247

Wednesday, 20 May

Had an unusually busy day today and a 45-60m run would have been a bit of an ask so I shuffled the schedule around.

Going to run tomorrow, then do the strength-endurance on Friday. Usually I’d want the recovery between that and the long run but as it’s only 1x50 this week I think I’ll deal with it.

Weighed 227.0 this morning. Weekly quiz with my UK mates last night and therefore some boozing.

1 Like
1248

Thursday, 21 May

Down to a year record low of 225.8 today.

Ran a mile and went home. Just wasn’t feeling it anywhere near enough to do 45-60 minutes of running today.

Calories were fairly low yesterday which would explain both of the above.

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1249

Friday, 22 May

Down to 224.6 today. Soon I shall blow away in a stiff breeze.

Tactical Barbell Base Building - W4D4 (Strength-Endurance)

Warmup
Bit of general moving around

Strength-Endurance Cluster
50x16kg (35lb) goblet squats
25xBW pressups
50x band rows
25x16kg (35lb) single-arm kettlebell swings per arm

Getting really bored of this now. Spent a lot of time today looking online for heavier kettlebells and/or 5kg plates with which to load up the circus dumbbell.

At least there’s only one more week of regular distance running, though.

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1250

Go get some rocks and carry em for a mile.

1251

@guineapig nah

Saturday, 23 May

Weighed 225.2 this morning though I overslept so that helps.

Sleep has been very bad the past week or so. Not sure why.

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1252

Monday, 25 May

Weighed 226.2 today, which is decent going given yesterday’s diet was basically two big cheat meals.

Tactical Barbell Base Building - W5D1 (Strength-Endurance)

Warmup
Bit of general moving around, to include a few Turkish Getups. Fairly challenging with the 16kg kettlebell, though I suspect a decent amount of that is unfamiliarity with the movement.

Strength-Endurance Cluster (3 rounds)
50x16kg (35lb) goblet squats
25xBW pressups
50x band rows
25x16kg (35lb) single-arm kettlebell swings per arm

Well past caring much about this program. I think if it wasn’t the last week of this block I’d have just quit and started something else by this stage.

That said, it has taken me to a 10K which I didn’t think would be remotely in my ability a couple of months ago. My resting heart rate has dropped from ~72 to ~64BPM as well. Been a success and worth doing for sure; I think after two months the lockdown is getting to me and I’m going a smidge stir-crazy.

3 Likes
1253

When’s ur gyms opening up again big fella?

1254

Currently planned for 10 August but that could move in either direction.

1255

Does the program continue to another more suitable block or are you trying something different

1256

Ouchie! Home gym stuff was a worthy investment

1258

@mortdk it’s meant to progress to a percentage-based strength block but obviously that’s not viable so I’ll do something else. Not sure what, but doesn’t really matter as it’s only for a few months and the main goal is losing fat anyway.

@Koestrizer not really tbh. I should have got more when I had the chance but didn’t imagine I’d be having to make use of it for so long. What I have is barely better than having nothing. Which is, by definition, better than nothing, but in retrospect I’d have spent a few hundred on some kettlebell pairs and a few more bands.

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1259

Tuesday, 26 May

Weighed 224.8 this morning.

Training (Conditioning)

Warmup
1 mile jog in just under 10 minutes

100m sprints
A few minutes rest between each. Going to incorporate these regularly, but today I just wanted to see how I go.

Turns out I’m basically just over half as fast as Usain Bolt.

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1260

Thursday, 28 May

Weighed 226.0 today, which is mildly annoying as it is slightly up from last week’s average.

Between now and gyms reopening I’ll have a crack at something like Wendler’s 2x2x2 pattern of training: two days of strength, two days of conditioning, two days of recovery.

Strength will be whatever full body stuff I can do with my limited equipment. Basically upper push/pull, squats, hinges and core. So chinups/pressups, goblet squats, then the Pavel combo of swings/getups.

Conditioning will be a few different sprint workouts and recovery weight vest walks or easy runs.

Training (Strength)

Warmup

4x50 red miniband pullaparts.
4x25 red miniband dislocates.
Various dynamic lower body things. The usual.

Pull

Red Miniband Rows
25x one band per arm
25x one band per arm
15x two bands per arm
15x two bands per arm

Chinups
3xBW
4xBW
3xBW
3xBW
5xBW
I’m down around 5-6lbs since I last did chinups, so I was hoping to be knocking out sets of 30 by now. Oh well! Following that weird old progression I keep failing to stick with.

Circus Dumbbell Rows
10x24kg (53lbs) each arm
10x24kg (53lbs) each arm
10x24kg (53lbs) each arm
Grip and path harder than anything here. Will just keep pushing up the sets and/or reps.

Push

Pressups
10xBW
8xBW, decline
8x10kg (22lb) weight vest
5x10kg (22lb) weight vest, decline
5x10kg (22lb) weight vest, decline
5x10kg (22lb) weight vest, decline
AMRAPxBW
Last set a killer after the weighted decline sets, even with excessive rest. Weighted declines are hard. Felt RPE8ish for the 5s.

Kettlebell Shoulder Press
12x16kg (35lb)
12x16kg (35lb)
12x16kg (35lb)
Not too tough. Once I’m hitting “too many” reps here I’ll do seated bottoms-up presses.

Squat

Goblet(ish) Squat
5x16kg (35lb) kettlebell
5x24kg (53lb) Circus DB
2x40kg (90lb) (Circus DB & weight vest stuffed into the top)
3x50kg (110lb, not 90lb) (Circus DB & kettlebell in the top, wearing weight vest)
3x50kg (110lb) (Circus DB & kettlebell in the top, wearing weight vest)
3x50kg (110lb) (Circus DB & kettlebell in the top, wearing weight vest)
Balancing the weight vest and/or kettlebell on/in the end of the dumbbell (the bellend, if you will) is a task in itself. This wrecks my forearms as well - in the same way log cleans and stones do, not in like a “good for grip” way. Will serve until I can get some heavier KBs to goblet/front squat, but it’s taxing my grip and general posture a lot more than my legs.

Simple Sinister

Single-Arm Kettlebell Swing
10x16kg (35lb) each arm
10x16kg (35lb) each arm
10x16kg (35lb) each arm
10x16kg (35lb) each arm
10x16kg (35lb) each arm
Easy tbh, even hardstyle.

Turkish Getup
1x16kg (35lb) each side
1x16kg (35lb) each side
Hard as fuck tbh. Will need to build up volume/technique long before adding weight.

A good amount there, but I took really lengthy rest periods and did some work (as in, my job) in between. Lots of rest periods of over 5 minutes, some touching 10. Meant that all of the above technically took about three hours, but sure what the fuck else have I to do today?

Plus if I’m only “lifting” twice a week, I better do a decent amount.

5 Likes
1261

Forgot the math here (110lb)

One of your goals seems to lose a bit of weight:

This has kept your body on the high burner for 3 hours, mostly burning fat. Well done Matt.

I like your Wendler setup 2x2x2 Tbh I love most of Jims work.

1 Like
1262

Friday, 29 May

Weighed in at 226.2 today, so I guess this is the weight I’m hovering at for a week or so before suddenly dropping 2-3lbs.

Training (Conditioning)

Too hot outside for sprints, so decided to go back to our old friend, kettlebell swings.

EMOM for 10 rounds:
10 16kg (35lb) kettlebell swings
3 burpees
All wearing the 10kg (22lb) weight vest.

Harder on my hands than anything else, because I’m 242lb with the vest on and slamming down into a burpee on a hardwood floor isn’t ideal.

1 Like
1263

Tuesday, 2 June

Dropped down to 224.0 today which is good. Calories and activity both pretty low yesterday, so it makes sense.

Forgot to submit my “after” for T-ransformation but as it’s basically a cut-and-paste of my “before” I won’t sweat it too much.

Training (Strength)

Warmup

Upper: 4x50 red miniband pullaparts; 4x25 red miniband dislocates.
Lower: Various dynamic lower body Limber 11y things. The usual.

Pull

Red Miniband Rows
30x one band per arm
30x one band per arm
20x two bands per arm
20x two bands per arm

Chinups
3xBW
5xBW
3xBW
3xBW
6xBW

Circus Dumbbell Rows
12x24kg (53lbs) each arm
12x24kg (53lbs) each arm
12x24kg (53lbs) each arm

Squat

Goblet(ish) Squat
8x24kg (35lb) Circus DB
5x50kg (110lb) (Circus DB & kettlebell in the top, wearing weight vest)
5x50kg (110lb) (Circus DB & kettlebell in the top, wearing weight vest)
5x50kg (110lb) (Circus DB & kettlebell in the top, wearing weight vest)

I could really do with a couple of pairs of heavier kettlebells to front squat here. Putting this down is harder than the last rep.

Push/Misc

Pressups
10xBW
8xBW, decline
8x10kg (22lb) weight vest
10x10kg (22lb) weight vest, decline

This last set felt a decent RPE8, so decided to nip over to the contraption in the park outside to try something out.

Dips
3xBW (PR) probably not a great ROM
2xBW deep as possible (meh)

Getting there, I suppose…

Roman Chair Leg Raise
3x8 between/after dips

Misc Thoughts

Another very leisurely session. As in, just under 90 minutes between the first band row sets and the last squat sets. That kind of leisurely.

Took lots of 5-10m rest periods again in order to get some work done (aka the work I get paid for) between the work I actually care about (aka getting stronk).

Well, I say that, but I’m feeling a lot more geared towards a fat loss goal than anything else these days, though. Which is good, because I need it - for health, if not aesthetics. Not sure I’d see abs even if I lost another 30lbs to be honest. I’m sure dips would improve, though!

The lowest I’ve been in this log is 205, and I’ve got pics at that weight, so I’ll make that a goal for comparison purposes if nothing else.

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