Singles for the first 9 rounds, triple on the final
48+" bar height
30lb sandbag throw for height
6 reps
Notes:
Real awful night of sleep. Dog seems to have relapsed and spent most of the night hacking away. I eventually took her downstairs so the Valkyrie could sleep at around 0200, and dozed off and on until 0700. Didnāt seem to impact my performance, but something to be aware of.
This is the heaviest Iāve ever loaded the SOS, and I didnāt have it quite centered, so the stone had a bit of a roll to it. Helps simulate a real atlas stone, as those things are never balanced. On a few of the picks, it took me for a ride.
For overall performance, Iām incredibly pleased. Zero missed reps, and that triple at the end felt strong enough. The stone WAS taking a bit out of me, so Iāll need to make sure Iāve got some solid electrolytes in me come competition time. I also had to transition from getting the stone onto the bar to pushing it over the bar from there. In comp time, I want to eliminate that, but when playing with home equipment you try not to get too overzealous.
I remain pleased with my technique. Itās resulting in less pain from training, which creates a positive feedback loop where I can train more.
No issues with conditioning for this.
Got in the throws like I said I was going to do. I AM feeling more explosive than usual. I think my strategy of setting it up like a swing will pay off.
Also managed to get in my push ups, squats and a 3+ mile walk with the dog earlier today.
After another night of the dog hacking away, I was running on fumes today. This was the last thing I wanted to do, so I told myself Iād get in one touch and call it good. It was very Dan John: didnāt bother changing clothes, just took out the bag and got in a carry. With no warm up, I felt pretty solid. Lower back held out well and I had the strength to carry the bag for double distance on the bearhug. Iāll take it. Glad I got in a rep.
Also got in 18k steps today from walking the dog a bunch. And my push ups and squats.
Iām technically in the easy week for conditioning since itās the hard week for lifting. But I like to start my weeks on Monday, like the Mexican Calendar. And I leave for San Diego/my cruise on Friday, so things will get a little compressed.
Log clean and strict press away
4x3x180+1 push press rep per set
NG weighted chins
4x3x45
ASSISTANCE
5 round circuit, 30 seconds per round of
24kg KB swings
365lb SSB front rack hold
Dips
HLR
Push ups
BPA
1x80, 1x20
Notes:
This workout went much better than I anticipated, once again demonstrating that, when I feel awful, I perform well, and when I feel well, I performā¦not awful, but just not as good as I perform well. Hereās my alchemy theory: when sleep is low, fight or flight response is elevated, resulting in improved performance in short burst high strength work and lower quality of life in general.
Sleep WAS much better last night. We got the dog bag on a medication that seems to be doing the trick. I think this is just going to be a āfor foreverā thing for her, which given she turns 15 in May, Iām more than fine with, as long as she can rest comfortably (and, by extension, the rest of the family as well).
The front squats were the highlight of the workout: they felt the best. The log wasnāt quite as snappy as itās been. Some of the reps drifted out in front, but Iām strong enough that I can correct now. I was experiencing a little nerve pain in my back/hips yesterday too, which I attributed to general fatigue. I was also experiencing elevated thirst: consumed a lot of water with electrolytes yesterday.
I slept in an extra 5 minutes, because I knew the lifting workout was going to be shorter due to the reduced sets and reps, and it also permitted me the opportunity to do 1 more round of the assistance/conditioning workout. I was definitely dragging on the final round, but it was good for me. On the swings, around set 3 I really turned a corner. Iām trying my hardest to visualize throwing the KB on each swing, to get a similar effect for the bag throw.
I called my shot on the scale this morning: predicted 82.4kg and thatās what I saw. Thatās a .4kg gain from last week, but given that I dropped 1.8kb between that week and the week before it, this is a much better trajectory for weight stabilization/loss. However, I also am going to take a moment to pat myself on the back that I have such awareness of my body that, without counting, weighing, measuring or tracking, I can know my weight to the decimal. Similar to how I can have days where I āfeelā lighter, and know that the scale will reflect as such.
Will be getting in a walk this evening while my kid is in music theater practice, and tonight is our family meal. Tuna casserole, biscuits, snickerdoodle bars, skim milk and honey await me.
200m sprint, 30 second rest, 200m sprint, 30 second rest, 200m sprint
3 min rest between rounds
Notes:
Following the prescription of easy conditioning on the hardest lifting week, I ran the basic version of OD101. Still a great lung breaker, but it also felt right to reel it in, as I didnāt seem to have the output I was looking for. Can still attribute that to some poor sleep. Dog is getting better, but Iām working off a big debt.
Really tried to focus on accelerating hard on the back portion of the sprint.
Got in a 2.5 mile walk with the Valkyrie and the pup last night. Itās like resistance training, because the pup was pulling hard the whole time; freaking out over the wind, leaves and people. Sheās getting strong. Was a good way to digest the carb heavy meal last night, which was absolutely fantastic.
Weāre supposed to do Tang Soo Do tonight, but we have a blizzard coming our way, which will most likely put that on hold. Itās partially why I went with sprints instead of indoor stuff today: this will be my last good outdoor day for a bit. May try to spar with the Valkyrie a bit to make up for lost reps.
Log clean and strict press away
4x3x180+1 push press rep per set
Log clean
0x220 (kept slipping)
Low handle trap bar lift
3x3x460
ASSISTANCE
Core circuit (no rest between exercises)
Reverse hypers
3x20x180
Standing ab wheel
3x10
Axle curls
55
Band pushdowns
35
BPAs
4x25
Notes:
Had delayed reporting to work due to the blizzard, so slept in. I was feeling pretty awesome, but the log was having itās way with me today, and I couldnāt get set up well for the heavy clean. Iām going to reduce the weight on that for the future and get in a few more reps.
The trap bar was especially disastrous, most notably on the second set. The weight went forward on me, and then I overcorrected, so the first rep was just all over the place.
I ate pretty light yesterday, and stress was high prepping for the blizzard. Feeling a little burnt out. Got TSD tonight, but it should be pretty low energy.
Since this is the easy week of conditioning, I did a ruckless ruck, and took the speed from 4.1 to 3.8, which is a comfortable pace for me. Good general activity, and it felt pretty restorative.
I dorked up something in my right shoulder yesterday, and Iām not sure on what. Itās minorly annoying pain that slightly limits my ROM. Iāll keep an eye on it. With 1 more workout until my bridge week, Iām not against just skipping the press tomorrow if thatās what it boils down to, or doing the minimum required sets.
Did Tang Soo Do last night, but will be skipping tonight. Itās 1-step self defense, so a pretty light night as it is. Iāll be attempting at least 1 more workout tomorrow before traveling for my trip, but may try to get in even more to include stones and sandbags, just to get a final touch on the implements before a break.
Was feeling light and saw 82.1kg on the scale, so thinks continue to trend well. Dog is also sleeping better through the night, but soon enough weāll be away from the coughing and really be able to sleep.
@Hugo_Fillion Iām currently only armed (pun partially intended) with a Garmin watch, which I know isnāt the most accurate tool for HR monitoring, but even then: no, I donāt do any tracking during the session. That said, based on the data Iām getting from it, I never actually get into zone 2 during the E sessions, and only seem to hang around there during the HIC sessions, at least based off the Maffetone method of evaluating max heart rate. My RHR is 37-38, and when I really push the HIC sessions, Iām at like 90-98.
Iāve been listening to a lot of Brad Kearns recently, and itās definitely given me license to hang out at zone 1 a bunch. I kinda wanna get a chest strap just to get some data, but at the same time this is exactly why I donāt count calories or macros: I KNOW that Iāll obsess over data once I get it, haha.
My right shoulder is really pissed off at me. I hate to say it, but Iām pretty sure I messed it up sleeping. Past few weeks havenāt been great because of the dog, and thereās a fair chance I just passed out in a poor position. I could still perform today, but basic life mobility is restricted, and Iām playing it a little safe in the training itself, which is why I didnāt go for the final push press rep.
Today, the log cleans were really top notch. I focused on pointing the handles really far away from me at the initial part of the clean. Tried to make the pressing go up even, but the right is really lagging behind the left.
Front squats were buttery smooth. Itās funny how the victory these days is when the eccentric is faster than the concentric.
Really drilled explosiveness on the swing in that circuit. I havenāt been good about training throws, but ideally this will carry over.
I travel out today, so diet and training is going to be weird for a while. Going to enjoy the food and try to be active. I actually got 24k steps yesterday, so that was cool. I MIGHT try to get in one more strongman thing today, but I have a feeling my schedule wonāt permit it.
I will look up Brad Kearns. Thanks for the reference. I want to learn more on conditioning. TB is my first structured approach to conditioning.
I really am going more and more by feels too because the watch seems to be really unreliable. I will ruck hard and stay at 110-115 bpm according to my watch and sometimes go over 120 bpm as recommanded by K. Black but when running, Iāll go really easy, breath by the nose, sing and my watch will tell me I am at 165 bpm. The run feels easier than the ruck sometimes so it looks like the bpm my watch is showing is in fact my cadence (steps per minute).
So yeah, I could ditch the bpm on the watch and stop thinking about it. Looks like I am obsessing over data too haha!
This is interesting to me, because Iām the exact opposite. My RHR is more 54-56, but when I go for a slow jog or ruck, my heart rate gets to 120-135 fairly easily. I donāt feel like Iām exerting myself at that point, but itās definitely up there. Now if I go hit some intervals on a rower or even just running? Iām seeing 180bpm every time. It drops quickly, but post sprint my heart is beating so damn fast I can hardly keep count of the beats.
@Hugo_Fillion its easy to do, haha. But yeah, the talk test remains a classic. There is something to be said about the jarring nature of running compared to other activities. Apparently, having both feet off the ground results in a force transfer of 5-7x BW through the body compared to 1x when walking and rucking.
@atlas13 hitting 180 is pretty nuts: definitely getting into that āZone 5 territoryā. Reminds me of a few WSMs where they strapped heart rate monitors on them befofe the truck pull, haha. Itās just hard for me to get my heart rate up at this point. Might be why grappling is going so well.
Itās definitely not an easy feat for me. Generally takes 2+ minutes of all out, 600m intervals really get me there. Iām not sure if itās good or bad my heart rate gets so high lol. Shows my max heart rate is probably still pretty high, which Iām pretty sure is good, but idk if Iām supposed to be able to crank it that high regularly.
Iāve worn a heart rate monitor for a few of my Navy PRTs, and I maintain a consistent 170+ heart rate for the entire 1.5 miles when Iām booking it. Now granted, I feel like Iām on the verge of death the entire time, but Iām also hitting some pretty damn good times for a guy my size, and Iāve always somewhat thought my high heart rate the entire time had something to do with it. Maybe it means Iām pumping out more blood than most guys my size, so I can go faster. Maybe it just means Iām pushing myself harder. Or maybe thereās no relation at all and my conjecture is wrong lol
Thatās likely editorial stretch of actual data. If you went up stairs like they describe: fast then 2 at a time for 60 seconds straight?
Thatās actually pretty intense for the likely untrained subject in some university study using climbing stairs measuring all the blah, blahs and they came up with this number.
And it was likely a more prolonged interval study a la Tabata=4 minutes total.
Do you take any medications? 90-98 BPM when doing HIC is not normal and can actually be a sign of underlying issues like diet, over training or heart problems. A low RHR does not correlate with MHR it should rise appropriately as intensity increases.
My RHR is between 41-43 BPM, I can get it over 190 during certain sessions. I run 4 to 4.25 miles in 30 min. and my HR never gets above 142 BPM. That is still not top of my āzone 2ā. I use talking/breathing cues as I have watched/read from pro cycling/triathlete coaches that they are better unless you are properly tested/tracked.
90-98 BPM would not be zone 2. The lower end using the Maffetone method is around 10 BPM lower than 180-age. So, for a 40-yr old between 130-140 bpm. That is actually in zone 3 based on āzone percentagesā. Maffetone himself said that with time/training you may have to add BPM to your top end.
Zone training is based on avg. fitness levels, so they tend to be too low for trained individuals.
I watched that Brad Kearns video you posted, and he makes a lot of mistakes and ignores other training benefits of cardio.
He conflates Zone 1, fat max HR, and the Maffetone method, which are all distinct. Zone 1 (50-60% of max HR), fat max HR (65-75% of max HR), and the Maffetone method (180-Age). That would put you in zone 2-3, unless he has his own weird zone chart, or I heard wrong.
Max Hr calculations using age are not very accurate if you are aerobically fit and/or are old. Especially if you are both. An old fit person can have a max hr 10-20bpm higher then the age calculated value. Its best to use observed max hr values over a few hard training sessions.
Maffetone uses injury status and training history to refine training % of age calculated max.
Karvenon method for calculating heart rate ranges uses the resting heart rate as well as max hr as a way to calculate training %s. This is more commonly used in athletics than Maffetone.
Take your pick. For runners I dont bother to overthink, use weekly mileage levels to build aerobic endurance via steady conversational runs. Use race pace intervals for speed.
Appreciate all the convos folks. Lots of good discussion. I am without a real keyboard, so I am just going to post some of the amazing food I have had so far
Local BBQ place my brother took me too. Got beef ribs, brisket and tri tip. Good to be in CA.
For myself, I had a bite of the Double double before I salvaged the meat and cheese from it, and then I took the Flying Dutchman and āmeat wrappedā it with a pup patty on each side. Absolutely wonderful.
