Little weeekend meal prep food porn to round it out
Venison roast with boneless beef chuck short ribs
Piedmontese grassfed tri tip
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I ended up sleeping in this morning. At some point in the middle of the night, something hit my guts like a bomb, and though it wasnāt a big deal, it disrupted my sleep enough that sleeping more seemed like a solid strategy. I have an annual fitness test today, and showing up to that having NOT done a widowmaker set of squats is probably a good idea. Iāll also be mowing the lawn today, as itās our one day this week without storms, and the family is planning on a walk in the evening, so Iāll get in enough activity that I can call today a DoggCrapp cardio day and call it good. Will just adjust the schedule and do two workouts back to back on Tues and Weds to get back on schedule.
Want to spend a little more time talking over the weekend. Hitting that PR on burpee chins was totally unexpected, since Iāve deprioritized that style of training recently. I FELT really slow while I was doing it, the reps were far more agonizing than usual, I was fighting through it, but by actual objective measurements, I crushed it. Iām imagining this is speaking to the significance of being recovered when entering training. Iām training the least I have in quite a while and seeing solid results from it. Once again, Iāve come back to abbreviated training: itās all cyclical. The trick is to recognize when this STOPS working, and be ready to pivot then, or even throw in the pivot just to throw in the pivot and keep things interesting. I was absolutely and totally gassed when it was done, but that SHOULD be what happens when you beat a PR. Itās good to know I have those reserves in me still.
On that note, that strongman sprint had me REALLY feeling in my element. 150lb log wasnāt heavy at all and moved smooth, and I was able to pump out reps for the full minute on the first round. The KB throws were a little awkward, but I felt like I was getting a solid triple extension once I figured things out. Conditioning held out pretty well. I feel like this would be a solid approach for comp prep: DC during the week and a microevents day on the weekend ala a sprint workout. I need to bring out the prowler to simulate a truck pull, and there is a yoke walk in this event that I may in fact train for as well.
On the Tang Soo Do tournament front: I forgot a move in my open hands form, which most likely cost me a significant amount on my score. I tend to forget that move in my training as well. So we āfightā how we train. I honestly scored pretty poorly on weapons as well, but there were 3 of us and the other dude REALLY screwed up his form, so I just had to not be the worse one: mission accomplished. But sparring was what I cared about, and that was fun to win, even if itās non-contact point sparring. My biggest victory was a moral one: I flat out refuse to adopt the standard point sparring guard, which is like a fencing guard where you stance sideways so that you have a very small targetable area and can lunge with your front limbs. Iām still using what I learned from boxing, Muay Thai and Bas Rutten: a squared up stance, hands āpeek-a-booā, and active movement defense. My instructor said āYouāre still using that guardā¦and youāre making it work! It was really awesome to see thatā. That was big to get his blessing. And heās right: itās something the other dudes arenāt used to seeing, and trying to figure it out was frustrating them. My wife commented on how the final dude I went against was presenting his back to me, which is unsportsmanlike in the competition, because itās a non-targetable area. His reward was getting kicked in the stomach, primarily because my squared on stance meant I could hit him from either angle, haha.
The tournament was a great experience. My kid took first in all their events and really just shined through and showed some growth. Their opponent in their final sparring match was legit only throwing ONE move: rear leg roundhouse. I keyed in on it and called it out to my kid āTheyāre only doing ONE thing! Look for itā, and my kid immediately picked it up, circled out, switched stance and landed a jab for a point. When it was over, they thanked me for pointing it out, and I was such a proud papa.
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A few more reflections as they come to me
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The guy I sparred in the second match was showing signs of fatigue toward the second half of the match. Once again: conditioning is king. Itās amazing how many folks arenāt capitalizing on that.
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Family got in a 3 mile walk last night after dinner. Itās been awesome getting in all this walking.
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Facebook reminded me that 13 years ago I competed in my first ever powerlifting meet. Whatās REALLY uncanny about that is, leading up to that meet, I was doing DoggCrapp. Specifically, for 2 months. Once the meet was over, I started focusing on lower rep work to try to get better at powerlifting. And now, here I am, having JUST finished week 8 of my run of DoggCrappā¦I in no way planned that. Amazing how the stars line up.
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Iām also about 10lbs lighter than I was back then. And interestingly enough, I had lost a solid amount of weight prior to that point, as I had adopted the Dave Tate āGFHā dieting approach and was walking around at 217lbs at an all time high. I cut down to 195 or so, and the next year got even lighter to compete at 181, where I set some state and federation records and began writing my blog. And sometimes itās hard to let so much time pass and see the numbers on the scale stay the same or get even lighter, but then I also think of my peers where the scale has DRASTICALLY moved the wrong way in the span of 13 years, and I realize that, especially at my age, sometimes just staying the same is progress. If I can be as fit at 38 as I was at 25, Iām in a good way.
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AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm, very good night of sleep)
DOGGCRAPP Week 8, Workout B2
KB Curls
16x22.5
10x27.5
12+6+6x35
90 second bicep stretch
Hise Shrug
20xBar
10x135
10x225
15+8+9x395
90 second axle trap stretch w/strong bands
DB Calf Raise
12xBW
10x20kg
11x90lb
90 second Belt calf stretch w/105lbs
GHR
10xBW
7x22.5
10+6+6x30
90 second (estimate, forgot to bring timer) GHR stretch w/30lb
Buffalo Bar Squat
10xBar
8x135
4x225
4x325
20x265
90 second quad stretch
3x10 standing ab wheel
50 band pull aparts
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
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I continue logging training motivation status, as it seems like a worthwhile variable. My dog got me up 20 minutes before my alarm, I dozed until the alarm went off, and felt reasonably excited to get this done. Part of that may be that I had my family meal last night: farmerās casserole with some homemade sourdough and cookies with some local honey. With this being a squat day, knowing I had all that fuel had me excited. Iām also in a much better headspace when it comes to eating this stuff: I look forward to it, rather than thinking of it like a tool to achieve cyclical ketosis, but I also donāt look forward to it as I did back when I would binge eat junk carbs. Itās an interesting sort of joy: being able to enjoy something that my wife lovingly made for us that also tastes good and also fuels me.
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All of THAT said, after the meal last night, we went for a 3 mile walk, and on the walk I experienced some exercise induced food allergy response. I imagine my tolerance for some of the stuff in the casserole has diminished, and having it so frequently had me burst that tolerance and react. I took a Claritin when we got back and drank a hot green tea and felt better by the evening, but still had some minor symptoms in the morning (difficulty breathing).
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Solid pump on the curls, big jump on the hise shrugs (I changed how I unracked it, put my feet further apart, and that seemed to help), and really pushed those GHRs. I would have liked to get in a few more reps on the heavy work of the squats, but 4 was definitely testing the waters, and the goal was to just prime the nervous system for that widowmaker.
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The widowmaker itself was effective for what it was supposed to be. My back is taking over on squats again, but I think thatās more a sign that my back is getting STRONG again. My deadlift fell off when I lost all the weight, and I also deprioritized reverse hypers, so I didnāt have the strength there that I used to. As Iām building back up on the pulls, my body wants to hinge again, and even WITH the close stance and high bar, my body will find a way to hinge. Iām also still not wearing a belt, so thatās a variable. In truth, I am getting a little sick of squatting with this stance: I had a vision of going back to the old way and really seeing what I could do now. But patience has been a boon here: Iām doing a fantastic job rebuilding myself.
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Tang Soo Do may happen tonight. We have a prediction for more tornados again, so we may duck out depending.
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Looks like copyright killed my video again. This is getting lame
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Nice to see you arenāt slacking. Good work mate.
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@Simo74 Much appreciated dude! Shame I couldnāt share the effort on video, haha. But these widowmakers are really doing some good.
AM WORKOUT (0410 Wake up via alarm) Sleep continues to be pretty awesome
DOGGCRAPP Week 8, Workout A3
Axle Incline Bench
20xAxle
10x136
6+3+2x196
90 second weighted dip stretch w/105lb
Trap Bar Press
12xBar
8x135
8+3+3x135
90 second shoulder stretch
(4) KB Incline Tricep Extension
20x22.5
10x30
15+5+4x37.5
90 second tricep stretch w/60lb
Angled Chins
8xBW
9+3+3+2xMiniband
90 second hanging lat stretch w/105lb
Viking landmine rows
10x25
10x50
10x75
10x100
4x125
13x150
8x150
60 second per side 115lb DB lat stretch
3x10 standing ab wheel
50x10lb lateral raise
20 band pull aparts
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
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Ambivalent about training this morning, but not negative. My legs are sore from yesterday, which is interesting. Not a real deep set of DOMS, but still aware that Iāve trained them. Felt a little weak coming into the gym, and after weighing myself I was 83.1 kg, which is a slight drop from my last weigh in. Had to eat in a hurry last night, as we had a roofing inspector checking out our roof after the tornado and then Tang Soo Do to get to, so I whipped together something that was solid (details to follow) but not quite enough sustenance.
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Upped the weight on the incline and trap bar, got in more reps on the triceps and rows (barely on the latter). Chins stayed the same for total reps, but I got in 1 more rep on the first set, then 1 fewer on the follow up. I most likely need to include a little more variety on these movements to see the growth I want.
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Physique is showing leanness again. Slight drop in weight is part of that, post carb up effect is another, and the final is that the stomach bug thing I had cleared away. Once again: fascinating to me how my body will physically manifest illness in a visible manner that way.
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Tang Soo Do was actually a really solid workout last night. We drilled the hell out of basics, as apparently that was a weakpoint in our schoolās tournament performance. Very traditional style class: lots of emphasis on stances, power generation and kick combinations.
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Meal last night was a āleftovers nightā special. I made chaffle buns for some piedmontese short rib, venison roast and bacon sandwiches with jarlsburg swiss, avocado mayo and grassfed sour cream. Paired it with goat cheese, cottage cheese and pork cracklin. It was very satiating, most likely from the 3 different forms of cheese, but it needed a bit more protein and meat. Today, my local BBQ place is showing up with the foodtruck, so Iām gonna secure some pulled pork to correct the course.
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Wrote up a not quite program review
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Chaos is the plan: lunch edition, because I wrote about how my local BBQ place was doing a food truck and I was gonna get some pulled pork, BUUUUUT when I showed up they said āHey, we made a half rack of ribs for youāā¦and it was JUST for me. They werenāt selling them out of the truck: they just made one before heading out, knowing I was going to show up.
So, of course, despite packing a lunch and planning on having some pulled pork to augment it, I, instead, had ribs for lunchā¦AND pulled pork, because try and find something more anabolic than that.
Seriously folks: find you a local place and be sweet to them. They will make it worthwhile.
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Ok, a really awesome ending to an awesome day
My piedmontese shipment came in. 4 10oz center cut ribeyes, a 32oz picana, Bone in beef chuck short ribs (dino ribs) and meaty beef back ribs.
@boilerman and @freshyfresh I know you can appreciate this. I am SO excited for smoking season.
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That looks amazing! Iām always down to look at your meat (pause).
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Woowwwwww what a haul!!
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I am not sure you havenāt covered this, but have been curious since I have started goofing around with Carnivore.
Santa Cruz is pretty expensive, so my questions are whether or not you have an idea of what your food budget is every month, thoughts on the value/cost benefit (clearly food is medicine), and if you have any hacks you can offer to be more cost effective.
I had my parents add me to their Costco account, but it doesnāt really seem to be of much value as the prices are similar if not more than the grocery store. I have a hard time pulling the trigger on ordering online because of the cost of grass fed.
I have gone heavy eggs and buying cheap pieces of meat, but I donāt see myself spending the $ on grass fed.
Not really a well thought out question, but there you have it.
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@The_Myth I have no idea what any of my budgets are, haha. My wife handles all the finances in the family. That said, our food buying is unique. As you saw: I just posted my haul from Piedmontese, which was a result of their weekly 30% off sales. Iāll stock up on stuff when itās on sale and put it in my freezer, and I still have a decent portion of the doe I took in the fall there. Weāve been living out of that freezer for several months now, based off a backstock of food. Iām honestly like a kid with a prize in the cereal box: I tell myself I canāt buy MORE meat until I finish off the stuff at home.
All that said, is grassfed/grass finished beef/ruminant meat superior? Objectively, yes. Is that difference significant? From what I understand: no. One of the benefits of a ruminant animal is that they have a multi chambered stomach that allows them to adequately process the toxins that would be present in an āalienā diet such that eating their meat/fat poses less harm to us compared to when we eat a monogastric animal that has been living off an alien diet (like a cornfed pig, for example).
Carnivore is all about healing, and the standard American Diet is SO toxic that āthe worst meat is better than the best plantā. If you CAN afford grassfed and grass finished ruminant animal meat: get it, for sure. But if grainfinished is what you can afford, you will still absolutely heal while eating that.
Along with that, ground beef gets a bad rap in the press, but itās really a carnivore godsend. Because ground beef tends to be the āleftoversā of the butchering process, you get a LOT of the stuff in animals that IS important when eating a carnivore diet: connective tissues, collagen, some degree of organ tissue (tongue and heart are allowed to be included in ground beef, per my understanding), etc. So along with being cheap, you do yourself favors by eating it.
As far as Costco goes, they tend to sell briskets on the cheaper side. What you can do for yourself is get a meat grinder, buy a brisket, and grind it up. Assuming you donāt want to dedicate the time/energy to making brisket of course. This way, you get a large amount of meat at a solid cost with a good amount of fat.
Somewhat of a rambling aside there, but hopefully some value to be had in it.
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm, rough night of sleep due to thunderstorms)
3 mile treadmill walk w/45lb weighted vest
- Mile 1 at 3.0 speed and 5.0 incline
- Mile 2 at 3.0 and 6.0
- Mile 3 at 3.0 and 7.0
70x230 reverse hyper
50 band pull aparts
75 KB swings w/60lb bell
Notes:
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Absolutely nutso storms last night and this morning. It sounded like my house was going through a carwash around 0300. Made the call to keep the cardio indoors today. Because of the logistics of where the treadmill is, I didnāt do the swings first, but still got them in.
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Since my weekly schedule got a little jumbled, I got in the reverse hypers today. They are absolutely a value added movement.
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No Tang Soo Do tonight: kiddo has a school performance we are attending. Will do a class on Saturday instead. May also have a chance to eat big tonight: Texas Roadhouse is doing a charity event to benefit those that were impacted during the tornado. 100% of profits donated. I can definitely do my part by ordering WAY too many ribs.
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AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
DOGGCRAPP Week 8, Workout B3
Band Curls
20xMiniband
10xMonster Miniband
5x2 MBs
13+7+6xMMB and MB
90 second bicep stretch
Viking landmine Kelso shrugs
15x25
10x50
10x75
15+7+8x150
90 second axle trap stretch w/strong bands
SSB Calf Raises
10xBar
10x175
11x265
90 second belt calf stretch w/105lb
Viking landmine deficit SLDLs
10x50
10x100
14+9+6x160
60 second hamstring stretch w/40kg bell
SSB Squats
10xBar
5xDoubled Light bands
3x115+DLB
6x165+DLB
20x115+DLB
90 second quad stretch
1x20 standing ab wheel
BREAKFAST
Longer walk w/dog
Notes:
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Solid training motivation this morning. I do think this is my favorite training day, as the SSB band squats are a unique challenge. It may also helped that I had a dinner consisting of 3 āsidekicks of ribsā from Texas Roadhouse last night. Me paired with 3 sidekicks makes the ideal adventuring party for most RPGs.
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Progression on reps for the curls, shrugs, calves, SLDLs and the widowmaker set. Progression for weight on the heavy squat set. I honestly could have grinded out a rep or two more for the heavy set, but I wanted to have something in me for that widowmaker.
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Talking more to the squats, I actually cut the warm ups on the short side because I was NOT feeling particularly strong on squats today. By the time I got to SLDLs I was already feeling pretty worn out, and I was making some deals with myself in my head from there. So it was a very pleasant surprise to be able to move as well as I did there. By rep 18 of the widowmaker I definitely felt my soul wanting to come out. Itās not so much the quads, but the entire body that is really feeling pretty awful from these. Very much makes whatever is inside me want to come out.
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The SLDLs were particularly effective today. Really focusing on getting a good stretch out of it.
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Cut the ab wheels short, just because of time, but was able to take the dog for a longer walk this morning.
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Another awesome Saturday. Got 6 rounds of 15 prisoner squats and 10 push ups in the morning, delicious breakfast, and then this workout
(4) Mat Pulls
15+4+4x405+chains
After that, an hour of Tang Soo Do, solid class focused on the basics. Had a fantastic steak and egg breakfast burrito and a beef cheek taco (no shells) for lunch, and then a lot of ribs and some pulled pork for dinner.
We also got in a 3.5 mile walk at some point.
On this note, Iām thinking of extending the feast a bit longer, as an experiment. Things are really going well as far as eating and training is going, and Iām gonna ride out this blast on DoggCrapp with a feast, then famine and cruise at the end of May.
Iāve got some piedmontese beef chuck bone in short ribs dry brining in the fridge for tomorrow. Bring on the feast.
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Part 1 of meal prep
2 piedmontese beef chuck bone in short ribs that I smoked āhot and fastā and they came out great, a piedmontese bavette and some piedmontese grassfed new york steak kabobs. I also air fried 5lbs of chicken thighs (bone in, skin on). I am set for the week. Despite the burnt appearance, the ribs were SO juicy and tender. Using the Ninja smoker tends to results in a really dark smoke, since itās so concentrated. I was spraying them with duck fat spray every 30 minutes, because Apple Cider Vinegar is, as you know, a plant, and why ruin a good thing?
Did some training too
EMOM, alternate between a 160lb log viper and a 24kb KB āthrowā. I took the vipers from a longer ROM this week compared to last, and it was exhausting. Iām feeling good with this set-up still. I supposed I am training 3 of the 5 events this way: need to work some zercher yokes and some truck pulls ala prowler drags at some point.
Also got in a 3.7 mile walk with the family and about 2 hours of yard work today.
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The workouts are as always, impressive. The nachos and tornado explanation, you should sell that to the NOAA.
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@Friedrich Hey thanks so much man! Anytime I can include nachos is a good time, haha.
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
DOGGCRAPP Week 9, Workout A1
Dips
20xBodyweight
10x30
4x55
2x80
7+3+3x117.5
90 second dip stretch w/117.5lbs
KB Clean and Press away
20x22.5
10x30
14+6+4x55
90 second shoulder stretch
Extreme Close Grip Swiss Bar Bench
20xBar
10x115
8+4+2x185
90 second KB tricep stretch w/55lb
Underhand Chins
6xBW
8+4+3x17.5
90 second hanging stretch w/105lb
Low Handle Trap Bar Lift
10x175
3x245
2x335
8x435
60 second 115lb DB stretch
3x10 standing ab wheel
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
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I woke up feeling pretty beat up this morning. I think all the storms weāve been having are finally taking a toll on me, because my knees were feeling stiff and swollen. Perhaps the yardwork paired with all the cooking and the walk yesterday was part of it as well, because when I laid down for sleep I realized it was about the first time that day I was off my feet. The impact wasnāt severe, as I progressed on everything, but it was hard fought, and I was feeling wiped out through the workout. Along with that, I cut out volume in the warm ups on the dips and the trap bar pulls.
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I appreciated the effort I put forward in the majority of the work I did. The swiss bar bench, in particular, had me really pushing hard, as did the trap bar lift. I also realized in the middle of my workout that itās called a āswiss barā because of the neutral grip handles. What a silly dig at the swiss.
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My elbows were pretty angry on the warm-ups for the chins, but felt better with some load. Still thinking Iām going to need to introduce some variety here.
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It was a tactical decision to increase the weight on the trap bar lift. I was feeling beat when I got to it, and going up in weight meant having no baseline I needed to beat. I feel like I still have some room to grow in that lift: today was just a high gravity day. 8 hardfought reps as enough. I actually felt and heard my left knee crack/pop on a rep, and given the swelling I was experiencing earlier, it seemed like a smart idea not to push beyond that. If the video ever uploads, Iāll share it, but I have a feeling my music trapped it in purgatory again.
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I wanna talk about the weekend training as well, because this round of mat pulls was the BEST Iāve felt pulling in quite a while. It was like old times: I would get the weight past the sticking point and use my HIPS to complete the rep vs my back. I think Iāve finally gotten strong enough again that Iām able to play to my strengths on this, which is a testament to how much I need to keep those reverse hypers in the game along with this regular set of pulls once a week. I think, way forward, any program that requires deadlifts Iāll pull with a trap bar, and then, once a week, Iāll do my ROM progression mat pulls.
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For the strongman sprint, increasing the ROM on the log was the right call, and my lower back didnāt feel nearly as blown up from this, but I do wonder if it played a role in me feeling a little beat up this morning. Itās most likely in my best interest to vary this sprint, and do some prowler days and some log days. But logistics and schedules are the primary drivers.
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Speaking of schedules, mine is going to be pretty nuts this week. My kid has a performance rehearsal Mon, Tues and Weds that runs for 3-4 hours each night, then the performance Fri and Sat. Still trying to get in Tang Soo Do as well. Meals are going to be fast and furious, but weāll get in what we get in.
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I bet this part was fun. That dip stretch is great and painful at same time. Itās the only āstretchā I felt was worthwhile.
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Ran across this while bouncing around reading things last night.
Considering my current training is built around lots and lots of 5s (thanks to Pavel), Iām curious about your take. Well, at least the āstrengthā portion is 5s. Definitely other rep ranges for other stuff.
Since my goals are a clean and press for reps and deadlift for reps, my current strategy is: 5s for the main lifts to build strength, more bodybuilding-y stuff for size. Then when I surpass my targets with 5s, do some variation of a ātransmutationā phase to build up to the same weights in the 8-10 range. Long ways to go though and plenty to learn.