you bring so much more than this, but this is definitely up there.
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Where did your neck go? 
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Itās so much fun to read your log.
But @simo74 is right, you bring much more than a capacity for punishment to the table.
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@simo74 and @EmilyQ Always appreciate the support there. I was speaking more of āas a competitorā. Itās something Iām proud of. I donāt bring max strength, technique, speed, etc, but no one can match my ability to just grind.
AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
PHYREXIAN DREADNOUGHT Phase 3, Week 3, Workout 3
10 minutes EMOM of axle clean and strict press away w/136lbs
4-3-2-3-1-1-1-1-1-1
ZENO SQUATS (12 deep breaths between sets)
6x315
3x315
2x315
1x315
6x275
3x275
2x275
1x275
22x225
ASSISTANCE
3x10 standing ab wheel
7x115lb DB rows
50 band pull aparts
50 band pushdowns
25 band curls
21 GHRs
BREAKFAST
Short walk w/dog
Notes:
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6.5 hours of Tang Soo Do in one week showed up this morning: I was just wiped out and had nothing in me for that press. I imagine my reduced food intake is part of that too. Plan was a bunch of 4s and 3s, but the fact I couldnāt even clean the axle into place showed that I lost all pop in me. Just grinded out what I could. I need to get smarter and wave these weights ala 5/3/1: itās really the missing piece to this program. Canāt just keep hammering heavy weights.
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All that said, major victory on the Zeno squats. I used an overwarm in my warm-ups, which was a trick I picked up during my Super Squats run, and I think that was a good call. They were definitely tough, but not beyond my ability, and it was great to see growth on all sets. The widowmaker at the end is getting even more ridiculous. Iām feeling myself stall at the midway point of the squat, but given itās beltless with the close stance, Iāll take it.
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Had nothing left in me for the assistance, so just went with what needed doing.
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More sparring last night. Valkyrie and I squared off in the first round of the first class AGAIN. Sucks when that happens: means I get fewer reps. Close fought match that she won with a body punch and went on to win the rest of the class. In the follow on senior class, I made it to the penultimate round and lost against the senior student. Heās super tall and lanky, and at one point I went in for a push kick and ended up tangled up in his legs. Interesting problem to run into. I was also just completely fatigued from this full week of training and could see some of that lack of explosiveness coming through. Iām not complaining at all though: I feel like a combat sports athlete again with so much training.
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Celebrating the Valkyrieās birthday this weekend. Going to be some good food and doing whatever she wants to do. I imagine I can still get in my deadlift workout, but otherwise, just going to do some living.
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Oh, absolutely! Thatās the fun (for us, not you, lol).
But few people match your ability to plan and adapt yourself, to make that almost cartoon character-like determination/grit possible.
Also, your decency shines through everything you do.
But I did know what you meant.
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Happy birthday to the wife!
Outstanding blog post this week.
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@TrainForPain much appreciated dude!
Slept until about 0700, got in 6 rounds of prisoner squats and push ups, went out for breakfast, walked 4 miles as a family, came home and knocked out a mat pull workout
(6) Texas Deadlift BarMat pulls
13+5+4x425
I honestly had some more in me, but my right hip was on FIRE during the later reps. Seemed like my belt was in a poor spot, but I shut it down just in case it was actually the hips having issues. This bodes well though. Iām the lightest and leanest Iāve been in a while and my pulls are going strong.
We went out for Hawaiian BBQ, shopped at the outlet malls (I picked up some hunting pants for more than half off, so I think Iām getting excited for hunting season this yearā¦especially since I have some venison thawing out to make burgers for tomorrow), came home and Mrs made me breakfast for dinner because sheās way too amazing and I donāt deserve her.
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@EmilyQ I forgot to reply, but what you wrote was incredibly touching: thank you so much! Your opinion holds much weight with me.
Another great weekend. Slept in until 0700, 6 rounds of squats and push ups, Valkyrie made me an awesome breakfast, before heading out I did axle Grace
Time of 5:55. Thatās satisfying on itās own, and itās progress. I was getting lazy with the clean at the end and just pulling high and correcting, but itās good to see things improving.
Got errands knocked out. Had 10 smoked wings from Buffalo Wings and Rings (tomorrow is National Chicken Wing day here in the states, Thanks Buffalo New York!), got home and fought a war with my lawn. Grass was still wet and Iāve got an electric mower. Chewed through 3 batteries, and while waiting for them to recharge I got in some sandbag work
Looking at that video, holy f**k Iāve gotten lean. Iām a little too good at that: itās most likely why my press strength has fallen apart. But at least I know how to fix that. Got some ribs and steaks in my freezer calling my name.
Once that was done, made dinner for the family, and worked that into my meal prep my making a bunch of venison burgers to eat through the week.
Valkyrie is making bison spaghetti again tomorrow. The weekly carb ups have definitely been the right call. On Thursday we bring home the new puppy and Iām taking Friday off to help them adapt to the new home. Itās going to be a good week.
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AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
PHYREXIAN DREADNOUGHT Phase 4, Week 1, Workout 1
1 min of axle continental and push press w/1 min rest
3x176
3x4, 2x3x156
SSB Front Squats
4xBar
4x115
4x135
4x185
5x255 (bar slipped on 5th)
20x190 (5lb PR from previous)
ASSISTANCE
5x7, 5x6 chins (various grips)
3x10 standing ab wheel
15x125 SSB good mornings
27 axle shrugs against average bands
100xAxle Poundstone Curls
50 band pull aparts
BREAKFAST
Moderate walk w/dog
Notes:
-
Was wasting a lot of energy on the continental today. Once again: donāt really have the pop first thing in the morning. Lower back was a little achy as well, which I realize my training got a little jumbled this weekend with me hitting Grace and sandbag work on the same day. One of the benefits of all that is my push press was coming along strong BECAUSE I couldnāt rely on strength to get me through.
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Didnāt make any progress from previous workout on the press, but I weighed in at 80.3kg/176lbs post workout, which is the lightest Iāve been for a while, and bodyweight definitely impacts my pressing. More to discuss on that, but Iām in a state where just maintaining the press is progress, to say nothing of seeing progress on my other lifts.
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Didnāt have as much bicep cramping on the front squat this time as last time, but still showed up a touch on the heavy set. Slippage due to sweating was another issue. 5 reps on the heavy set matches my last workout rather than shows progress, but the follow on widowmaker was a solid effort. I did have to do a re-rack on the 19th rep just because the bar slipped, but I moved quick enough that I got in the 20th without having a legitimate resting effort. I may consider bringing out my grip shirt on these workouts, but with how much Iām perspiring and how hard it is to clean it, I donāt want to overutilize it in training.
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I forgot my own protocol on the chins and went with more reps than I needed to, but I was moving good on them so kept up with it. Good to see it coming back. The Poundstone curls were a real slog. Everything else was what I needed it to be.
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Back to the bodyweight discussion: Iāve got 2 events coming up where I need to be a certain weight: a grappling tournament on 31 Aug where I need to be under 185, and a strongman competition on 14 Sep where I need to be under 181lb. My intention was to lean out a little before both events so that I could eat UP to them, rather than go the other way around trying to lose weight while getting stronger at the same time. I need to acknowledge that I have accomplished that mission, and now need to start INTELLIGENTLY reversing course. My 2 pitfalls right now: I LIKE leaning out, primarily because itās easy, Iām good at it, and the feedback is instant. I just have to fast more and eat less, and I FEEL better when I do that because I donāt have a bunch of food in my guts, so Iām lighter and sleeker, and during periods of fasting I feel more alert/turned on due to heightened cortisol. This is a slippery and dangerous slope. My other pitfall is Iām a big dumb meathead who DOES like food, and I already caught myself thinking āok, itās gaining time, that means I can bring out more cheese and sour cream and pork rinds into my mealsā. Those are treats: NOT food. I did that previously, and though I DID gain more weight by using that approach, I also just didnāt feel as good. Specifically, my aggression was turned down when the dairy was turned up. My alchemist theory was the presence of casomorphines just blunted me, but thereās also something to be said about hitting that dopamine trigger so hard and being ātoo happyā. I have a LOT of meat and eggs to eat: what I need to do is start eating MORE meat and eggs while keeping the dairy still in a limited capacity. I also have to keep in mind that Iām weighing myself post workout, which means Iāve lost a bit of water from sweat, but getting an 80.3kg weigh in on a Monday AFTER a weekend of high sodium eating out is a sign that my weight is in a good spot.
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AM WORKOUT (0410 wake up via alarm)
75 KB swings w/57.5lb bell
2.5 mile walk at 3.1 mph pace w/80lb vest
80x270lb reverse hypers
2:12 hang from bar, pull up every 30 seconds
50 band pull aparts
BREAKFAST
Longer walk w/dog
Notes:
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Past 2 days Iāve had this āon the verge of getting sickā feeling. Phlegmy, sore-ish throat, general malaise. Over the night, my throat got really sore and I felt stuff. I woke up this morning and thought I might skip today, but talked myself into the fact that this was the lightest day of the program and generally a pretty restorative one. I felt like fresh air would do me good, and the mornings ARE at least much cooler than our afternoons these days (weāre having a heat wave, heat index into the 100s, feels ādangerous hotā to be outside), so I went for it. I moved slow to start the morning, which is why I only managed 2.5 miles, but my walking pace was actually faster than usual, which was a plus. Really focused on rucking it vs leisurely strolling. By the time it was done, I was feeling better. Still crummy, but not intolerable. Tang Soo Do tonight may be a non-starter: weāll see.
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My lower back has really been stiff/tight these past few days, and today was a great cure for it. Swings, walks, hypers and hangs. I really accidentally stumbled into a great tonic workout.
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Meal last night was wonderful. Whole drum wheat pasta spaghetti with bison meat no sugar added sauce, some garlic bread, and some of the Valkryieās cookies with some raw local honey. The more I lean into this meal, the better the results.
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On that note, I booked an awesome evening for the 2 of us the day after my strongman competition.
- Alongside that, while Iām talking about exciting things, I found a food challenge that I actually think I DO want to take on
- Iām clearly ready to start gaining again. And while talking general excitement, Iāve picked out my hunting rifle, which will be available for purchase on 8 Aug through the end of the month. Which means even more meat. In general, my headspace is really awesome right now.
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Called it a sick day today. Still very hard for me to not train, but sometimes itās easy to be hard and hard to be smart. I sat out of Tang Soo Do last night when I started breaking a sweat just from walking through some Hyungs, and that same sweat happened while walking my dog this morning. I think one day of laying low will do me better than 3 days of pushing it, especially with us getting our new puppy tomorrow.
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Your healing continues. Seems like something you may not have done before the last few life changes?
I am so excited for you and your family! Canāt wait to see pictures and hear all about the pup.
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@unicornsandrainbows Much thanks for the excitement! Weāre so eager. Iāll have all day Friday with her. Weāre naming her āToadetteā, to go along with our Nintendo theme of Kirby (RIP) and Yoshi.
And absolutely spot on. NOT training has been one of the biggest signs of healing for me. Or, specifically, training because I choose it, vs I feel compelled to do it.
How do we heal? How about 5 whole pastured eggs. Cooked on my Ninja Griddle: I always love how it looks.
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Enjoy Toadette man! To you and your whole family
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@Panopticum Hey thanks so much man!
AM WORKOUT (0425 wake up via alarm: slept in due to schedule allowance)
PHYREXIAN DREADNOUGHT Phase 4, Week 1, Workout 2
30 minute EMOM
Round 1: 3x241 axle zercher squat from floor (back spasm on rep 2 of 9th round, shut it down on final round)
Round 2: 3x122.5lb weighted dip
Round 3: 3/2x57.5lb weighted NG chin (3 first 5 rounds, 2 last 5)
Repeat
End with
Trap bar pulls (VERY controlled eccentric)
6x425
ASSISTANCE
3x10 standing ab wheel
Lateral Raise dropset (35x10lb, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xEmpty Hands)
Hang from bar w/pull up every 30 seconds: 2:05 total
50 band pull aparts
Notes:
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Not quite 100%, but feeling substantially better than yesterday, and INCREDIBLY strong on the zerchersā¦which is most likely why I had that back spasm in the penultimate round. When we feel good, we tend to push harder, whereas when we feel crummy we brace and take our time. The exact reason I quit taking Surge: I felt too damn good on it and kept pushing too hard. I also imagine Iām a touch dehydrated from the coughing (you can hear/see it on the video), and I typically run into this issue whenever I get too lean. Abdominal circumference goes down, and with it comes core stability. But while Iām sounding so smart about this, Iām also smarter now in that I knew to just shut it down once the spasm happened and then go from there. I evaluated how I felt during the ab wheel and warm ups on the trap bar and found I still had some bracing and stability in me, just couldnāt go for broke, so I went with a very controlled eccentric and took what I could. Sets me up for success for the next round, but Iām also pleased I went for 20x405 last week, since this week would have been the time for that and Iām not sure how well that would have gone.
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Dips remain a very solid pressing movement for me. Continued progress. Bar was a little slippery today. Iām sweating out whatever is in me, which, combined with the already high heat index, had things very slick.
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Chins continue to be hit or miss, but Iāll keep putting in the effort. The hang from bar is going well. I forgot to make this a trap bar hold day, but given the back spasm, hanging from a bar was most likely the right way forward. Helped the back unkink a little.
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Kept assistance work on the short side, since my schedule is a little jumbled. Planning on lifting again tomorrow and saving events for the weekend.
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On the topic of schedule, Valkyrie and Kiddo are picking up Toadette today, which is why I got to sleep in: didnāt have to make breakfasts or take the kid to summer program. Iām taking the day off work tomorrow to break in the new pup, which means Iāve already got some piedmontese beef back ribs thawed out which I plan to throw on the smoker for lunch. Itās a good day.
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Tang Soo Do was canceled last night because we had 80 mph winds and rain. Lotta places lost power. Thankfully, not us, but my fence lost 3 sections, so now I have yet another home project. My father-in-law installed fences in his youth and is excited at the idea of coming by to help, but I honestly would just prefer to contract this out and have it off my plate. Weāll see how it shakes out. But on the plus side, the new deck weathered the storm very well.
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New pup picture! Iām still at work, but Valkyrie shared this with me on facebook. Canāt wait to come home.
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Always thought you were normal. Awesome results mate.
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Thanks man. I fought REALLY hard to get to be normal. Iām over the moon about it.
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You really should be. Now go enjoy the new pup and have a great weekend.
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