Went out to Texas Roadhouse tonight, crushed a full rack of ribs and the leftovers of my wife and kid’s sirloin, but wanted to brag about my carnivore hack for the sides
Two bowls of hardboiled eggs from the salad.
Also, piedmontese was having a crazy sale, so now I have a 9lb brisket heading my way…so that’s awesome
I’m throwing a widowmaker into my next leg day now.
@taylortooswift Outstanding! Hope it goes exactly how you want it to go.
Woke up at 0600, hung out with the Mrs for an hour before we made it downstairs, got in 50 push ups and 40 squats and the mrs made me an absolutely fantastic and anabolic breakfast, and then I got in this mat pull workout before taking the dog for a short walk and getting in some chores
(3) 13+5+4x405
A 1 rep PR at a longer ROM than last week. Yes: still in my pajamas. My warmup was 2 reps at 155 and 1 rep at 315. I love that I can do that. My left bicep DID feel like it was going to pop on the first 4 reps, which was weird, but clearly I lived to fight another day.
After chores, got home and managed a 2 mile walk w/80lb vest and 150 push ups
No matter what else happens, it’s a great day, and this is a fantastic comic panel. Go Colossus!
I’m just gonna brag. Last night, for dinner, I had a full rack of ribs at Texas Roadhouse. Tonight, for dinner, I had a half rack of ribs at our favorite local BBQ place. Tomorrow, my Valkyrie is making me a turkey for the superbowl. I have genuinely never been happier with how I am eating.
Got in 300 push ups through the day, about 80 squats, then did this workout of 10 KB swings and 10 burpees countdown to 1 with a 24kg bell
Big win was Superbowl food: my Valkyrie made me Turkey
I am blessed
AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm, slept through the first 3 minutes, stayed up late watching Super Bowl)
5/3/1 BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 4, Workout 1
SUPETSET (press-squat)
Axle clean and strict press away
5x123
5x138
5x158 (continental)
15x123
Buffalo Bar Squat
5xBar
5x135
5x225
5x265
SUPERSET (squat-BPA)
Buffalo Bar Squat
5x5x300
Band Pull Apart
5x20
20 minute EMOM chins and dips
END OF REQUIRED WORK
1x10 standing ab wheel w/10 second plank at end
BREAKFAST
Shorter walk w/dog (no vest)
Notes:
I didn’t sleep terribly well over the weekend, and then crashed last night as a result of staying up later, having feasted earlier, and the poor sleep previously. My alarm had been going off for 3 minutes before I realized it. I have my phone set to vibrate and have it on my body, so that it doesn’t wake up the Mrs. Was running just slightly behind as a result, so not much extra work after the required work.
The press is really coming along. Nice to feel strong again.
Really focused on trying to speed up the squats. One of the issues of training so early in the morning with minimal warm up is how stiff I am, and the first rep of each set it just painfully slow, primarily because it is PAINFUL. My right hip/glute in particular feels some issues. But I find I am making things worse by slowing down the squat: this high bar and close stance approach fairs better when I allow the muscles to relax and explode. When I made an effort to do that through later reps and sets, I felt better and stronger. Just need to trust my body. Operating without a belt is still weird/foreign to me too, but all these limitations and restrictions have been good for keeping me honest and giving me new challenges.
As much as I’ve been trying to make the assistance work more “pumpy” to get the bodybuilding effect of it, this 20 minute EMOM approach kept me to my schedule. It had a conditioning hit to it as well.
On the topic of bodybuilding, I keep having this idea in my head that I want to try out some sort of HIT/DoggCrapp-esque approach in the near future. I like single set work and really pushing myself. But then I realize that I don’t really care for the goal of bodybuilding in terms of PHYSIQUE development. I like getting bigger: I don’t care about developing specific PARTS of muscles. But there’s also a strongman competition happening in my hometown on 20 Apr that I apparently have no interest in doing, because I haven’t signed up for it. I may just be done with that sport. And then I have a 10 mile run earlier in April and a Tang Soo Do tournament in the last week of the month. Lotta irons in the fire.
Left bicep is being pissy again, and considering it’s the one I partially tore, I should keep an eye on it.
I’d suggest adding in some paused goblet squats first up, good way to activate those niggling zones.
That sounds like warming up, haha
Thankyou for being you mate. This made me smile way harder than it should have. Quality
@simo74 Hell yeah brother! Despite Chaos being the plan, I am predictable, haha
AM WORKOUT (0420 wake up via alarm)
5/3/1 BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 4, Workout 2 (out of order)
SUPERSET (pull-bench)
Low handle trap bar pulls
5x175
5x265
5x320
5x365
3x5x410
Axle bench press
5xAxle
5x136
5x176
5x206
5x5x226
KB rows
4x15x40kg
12x40kg
Poundstone curls
100xAxle (87 unbroken)
END OF REQUIRED WORK
1x20 Standing ab wheel
Notes:
Apparently I was moving slow through this. Took a while to get done.
I’ve got a long weekend coming up, with the Mrs and I having Friday off, so I’m compressing my training schedule to finish lifting on Thursday. This meant training Mon and Tues back to back. It was a bit rough coming into this, which may be why I moved slower. My left lat was a little touchy as well.
The pulls felt pretty strong. I’m pleased with where I am on those these days.
Rows continue to feel better each week. Definitely bitter medicine. I don’t care to do them, but I’m better for doing them.
No walk: had to get to work early. Tang Soo Do tonight though, so some extra activity ahead.
Physique is looking thicker these days. Feels like I’m returning to my previous form, which is nice, especially that I’ve gotten here with a much better approach.
AM WORKOUT (0420 Wake up via alarm)
5/3/1 BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 4, Workout 3 (Conditioning)
75 KB swings w/24kg bell
2.1 mile walk w/80lb vest
30 rounds of 10 prisoner squats and 10 push ups within 21 minutes
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
Once again, schedule is out of order this week, and I was deciding between Ninja Turtle or the walk, and the walk won out. It’s absolutely the right prescription for post deadlift/pre-widowmaker workouts. Very tonic, especially with the swings and bodyweight work thrown in. I dig how it’s around an hour of solid training but doesn’t beat the hell out of me, and being able to get outside and get some fresh air first thing in the morning is a great way to calibrate my morning, even if I don’t see a lick of sunshine.
Went a little heavier on the swings, and moved a little faster on the bodyweight work.
Tang Soo Do last night was enjoyable. More 1-step self-defense stuff. I get to work with the Valkyrie, and seeing her improve is awesome.
My left lat/tricep has been aching since Monday. Wonder if I aggravated the previous tear with some of those chins. I’ll see how it respond to weighted pulls tomorrow.
Still eating like a champ this week.
Yesterday I finally looked up Building the Monolith. Quite a program. The core is simple, but the accessory work is a lot. Impressed you’re able to juggle that with life and work.
That’s the magic! Haha. Took me a while to really appreciate it. The core work there is just to “remember” how to be strong, but the assistance is where the Monolith gets built! And I appreciate that sentiment dude! It’s why I get up so early to train. If I don’t do it then, I won’t do it.
I’m REALLY liking lifting 3 days a week and being able to walk/condition on the other days. And as the weather improves, more opportunities will present. In turn, I’m feeling the Siren’s call to come back to DoggCrapp after about 12 years from my last run of it. But I also hear that fortitude training is similar. @TrainForPain and @davemccright I remember ya’ll have some experience with that. Any good cliff notes to share? I’m trying to keep to 60 minute workouts if possible: don’t know if that’s something viable.
I love your plan! I appreciate you thinking of me here. Fortitude is awesome! The fun part is, you have different set parameters on each training day. A day for heavy Progressive overload lifting, a day for lighter pump focused training (usually it’s heavy upper/pump lower one day and heavy lower/Upper Pump the next) and then a muscle round day which is basically this program’s equivalent to rest pause training. It’s very fun, easy to auto regulate and adjust things to fit your personal needs.
Here’s a video that the creator, Scott Stevenson has on the specifics of how to perform muscle rounds:
Appreciate the info and the video dude! Definitely gives me something to think on.
Thanks for the callout!
I read the book, and it seemed like a very smart approach, but I never went with it because it employed this “zig-zag” approach that was basically a lot of supersets/ circuits. You’re meant to beat the logbook on these, and I felt like it would be hard to consistently set up the same stations in commercial gyms where I train.
It read to me like a blend between more traditional bodybuilding training and something a little more DC, so it should have been very appealing, but I just couldn’t get over that barrier (in my brain).
DC, on the other hand, calls to me consistently!
@TrainForPain Very much appreciate that. Right now I’m leaning toward DC, just because it’s “the evil I know”, but I can see myself digging in to some other styles and going from there. I forget already how nuanced execution of bodybuilding training can be, and I can already see myself blowing that off so I can just blow my brains out on some hard work, haha. But Chaos remains the plan.
AM WORKOUT (0420 wake up via alarm)
5/3/1 BUILDING THE MONOLITH Week 4, Workout 4 (out of order)
GIANT SETS (press-squat-chin)
Axle clean and strict press away
5x5x123
Buffalo Bar Squat
5xBar
5x195
5x225
5x265
5x300
Chins
5x5x45
GIANT SETS (press-shrug-BPA)
Axle clean and strict press away
7x5x123
Axle shrugs against short strong bands
4x25
Band pull aparts
4x25
Buffalo Bar Squat Widowmaker
50x200
END OF REQUIRED WORK
3x10 standing ab wheel
Lateral raise stripset
Neck harness
60x180 reverse hyper
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
This wacky week concludes, and another one next week since my Monday is going to be a holiday. I actually have the day off work today too and almost slept in, but I wanted to just get this done.
Press moved strong and the squats were actually pretty decent on the heavy work. Chins went better than expected with the pain in my lat.
Came in with 50 reps as the goal for the widowmaker and I made it. That’s another Dan John milestone. Yeah, technically it’s supposed to be 205 for that, but whatever.
From the video I can see I’m still holding quite lean despite 4 weeks of feasting. My squat stance is also stupidly narrow.
Tang Soo Do later tonight potentially.
It’s a program I myself can never really explain why I haven’t revisited in the last decade plus
You guys just don’t really like to Grrrind.
From your V-Diet log or thread or whatever:
Was it the V-Diet that changed this for you? I haven’t read the entire thread - and won’t - but reading the quoted bit I realized how much you have changed, and this was less than a year ago.
Regardless, I quite approve. I find myself currently struggling to stay “real,” because the shakes are so much easier than food. This T-ransformation is my first experience of them. I’ve always thought them too high-calorie for something I drink. But they are satiating!
I really want to get off sugar substitutes, with a big problem for me being chewing gum. I pretty much have a piece between every session (I’m flavoring the water I guzzle, I think, and just sort of doing a reset). I like it in the car, too. So a way to siphon off energy when I can’t move (which is work and the car).
