A beautiful analogy!
I only eat twice per day for this reason also. Haha. If I eat 1400-1500 cals of a low carb meal choc full of protein and MUFA’s, it can take 9-10 hours to even get the hint of a new hunger signal in truth.
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I drew very similar conclusions myself. I like feasting. Small meals just make me hungrier. I’d rather eat 1 gigantic meal and be stuffed.
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AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO
Operation MILO Cycle 3, Week 2, Workout 2
“ROWER RESET 20S”
5 rounds on the rower
- 20 seconds max effort
- 2 minutes rest
8 minute cooldown row
Notes:
- Much better power output today compared to last week: I got back into the groove. Was actually pulling the rower off the floor with my strokes. Also was able to shave a minute off the final rest time compared to last week and still get in the power output.
- My body feels a lot better after these days. Good restorative effect between the power work and the cooldown. I abide by the “no more than 20 minutes” rule and use that to determine my cooldown time.
- Keg carry yesterday was 236lbs.
- Tang So Do tonight. It’s “Wildcard cardio” week, so should be a decent workout. I haven’t achieved my 10k step goal over the past 3 days, so it’ll be good to get in some extra activity.
17 Likes
Operation MILO Nutritional SITREP
Breakfast was the same as yesterday, minus the chicken breast. Dinner was a 1.2lb chuck steak, some leftover rib finger and kalua pork, 3 pastured eggs and 5 whites, with everything absolutely swimming in ghee. Also had about 2oz of the Valkyrie’s leftover piedmontese grassfed petite tender and a few bites of the kiddo’s leftover piedmontese grassfed New York strip. Absolutely wonderful: total gains fuel.
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I saw what you were saying earlier about accidently wandering into PWI. I got curious and had to go see what the heck you were talking about, since I also never go there. I severely regret my decision to look lol
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@atlas13 Yup! Which, of course, speaks to the absence of any balance in the conversation there. A whole group has self-exiled: you’re going to be missing a lot of perspective.
AM WORKOUT (0333 natural wake up, snoozed until 0400)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO
Operation MILO Cycle 3, Week 2, Workout 3
MAIN WORK
(5) Texas Deadlift Bar Mat Pulls
11+5+5x455
DB rows
5x10x120
Axle curls
5x10x70
GHRs
5x10x40
ASSISTANCE
GHR sit up
3x10
Reverse hyper/band pull apart superset circuit (no rest, back and forth)
3x15x340/3x50
Notes:
- 1 minute rest between sets of everything, except 90 seconds for final set of curls
- The mat pulls were in an interesting place, where the weight felt heavy on all the warm-ups, and I acknowledged that it was heavy during the work sets, but it moved easier than it did last week. No pain either. It was as though I had it in my head that it was going to feel so heavy that it managed to just be reasonable when the time came to perform. Goal was 10 reps on the first pull and I got 11. Blew out a bunch of blood vessels in my shoulders as well. Like old times. I feel my strength coming back well.
- Weight belt is still fitting well this deep into gaining, and I’m not looking sloppy. Feel like I’ve really landed on something solid here.
- Weighed in at 83.7kg this morning: .4 drop from Monday. I typically weigh in on Thurs, but we’re getting a break in heat today, so I figured today would be my closest to a post-sweat weigh in that I typically got on Thursdays.
- Tang Soo Do was a solid workout last night. Tonight should be similar. Sprained my thumb on my left hand either in class or in my sleep: it’s swollen, but not enough to impact training.
- Keg carry yesterday was 237.5lbs. It felt pretty light, but the return trips are getting slower and slower.
18 Likes
Operation MILO Nutritional SITREP
Breakfast was the same as yesterday, with a little added chicken breast.
For dinner, it was “Cook’s Night Out” at my kid’s school with Chipotle. I got 2 servings of carne asada and 2 servings of beef barbacoa (you can buy them ala carte, which is awesome), which I supplemented with 6 scrambled eggs cooked in tallow and topped with ghee alongside some leftover kalua pork.
10 Likes
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO
Operation MILO Cycle 3, Week 2, Workout 4
MAIN WORK
SSB Squat
4x10x283
Lever belt squat
4x10x237.5
Axle strict press from rack
3x10x133
1x8+2x133
(3) DB incline bench
4x10x70s
Dips
10x67.5
2x8x67.5
1x8+2+2+2x67.5
ASSISTANCE
Standing ab wheel
1x10 w/10 second plank on final rep
Chins through workout
Notes:
- 1 min rest on first 3 sets of squats, then 90 seconds. 1 min for all lever belt. 2 minutes on axle. 1:30, 1:45, 1:55 on DB bench. 2 minutes on dips.
- There is certainly a reality where I could have gotten all 4 sets of squats with just 1 minute of rest between sets, but I imagine it would have taken more out of me and compromised the remainder of the workout. It’s what I dig about this protocol: I make the first day as strict as possible so I have room to stretch out on the second day.
- Because of all the slightly longer rest periods, I had to cut the ab work short at the end, so I held a plank on the final rep to make it suck more.
- For the dips, I rest paused to get all the remaining reps. I’m going to keep that weight for next week, since it’s sets of 8, and see if I can do it with shorter rest periods.
- Weighed in at 83.4kg this morning, which is my more traditional weigh in day. That’s a delta of .7kg from Monday.
- Keg carry yesterday was 238.5lbs. It’s definitely feeling heavy on the return trip, although carrying it on deadlift day will typically feel heavy.
- Tang Soo Do was a decent workout last night. Final night of it tonight.
17 Likes
Operation MILO Nutritional SITREP
Breakfast was the same as yesterday. Dinner was leftovers night: usual assortment of eggs and a substantial amount of kalua pig. I had the leftover pig from my kid’s plate as well. And slathered everything in ghee.
9 Likes
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO
Operation MILO Cycle 3, Week 2, Workout 5
MAIN WORK
Chins (various grips)
5x13 (rest pause as needed)
DB rows
5x10x130
Axle curls
5x10x76
GHRs
5x10x50
ASSISTANCE
GHR sit ups
3x10
Reverse hyper/band pull apart superset circuit (no rest)
3x15x340/3x50
Lateral raise stripset
35x10, 35x5, 35x2.5, 35xEmpty Hands
Notes:
- 1 minute rest for all except curls, which were 90 seconds.
- For chins, I got through the first 2 sets without rest pause, then got to rep 7 of all other sets before needing to rest pause. 5 total reps over previous week.
- This workout really works well for the overall programming structure. By this point of the week, I’m pretty beat up, and a day without any heavy spinal or knee loading is refreshing, while still being challenging enough and getting me a solid pump through the posterior chain. Especially felt my lats lit up after the chins before moving to the rows.
- Tang Soo Do was another solid workout last night, and 3 nights of that in a row added up.
- Keg carry yesterday was 240lbs. It was raining, so I had to move slower than I would like to.
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I dig that taped up bench. Mine’s the exact same way - it adds character. I’m so bored of seeing all those posts on the “Home Gym” subreddit where it looks like no one has ever even trained in them. Everything is new and shiny and not a speck of chalk in sight. How sterile and boring! Give me the “sponsored by Home Depot” version any day.
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I got it for $5 in a garage sale 15 years ago. I genuinely don’t care WHAT else has come out since then: nothing is going to beat that bargain, haha.
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Operation MILO Nutritional SITREP
Breakfast was the same it’s been. Went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. Showed up with an appetite. Got my 2 bowls of eggs with a side of sour cream which I absolutely housed, and then got a 25oz bone in ribeye (no seasoning, salt only) AND a sidekick of ribs (no sauce). I could have put away some more, but this was adequate for dinning out. Next week is the last week to push for bodyweight gain and I’m in a good place for that, so full steam ahead.
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Why no seasoning?
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The seasoning is made of plants. I specifically avoid the brown sugar, but garlic, onion, tumeric and pepper is stuff I will avoid if given the option. If I get exposed to it, it’s not the end of the world, but if I can keep myself from having it, it’s better on my guts.
3 Likes
PM WORKOUT (1440)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO
Operation MILO Cycle 3, Week 2, Workout 6
Stone of Steel over bar
- 1 min/2 min off
- 160lb stone/50” bar
- 4 rounds total
Notes:
-
Had some issues with equipment set up, so not as many reps as last time, but the extra round added up
-
I am liking using this protocol during specificity. It seems more aligned with the goal compared to EMOM.
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Immediately afterwards, I carried that 242.5lb keg and then went on a 40 minute walk.
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My RHR has been elevated the past week: up to 42 from 38. Part of that is from being sick, but I think part of it is the food intake and bodyweight gain. I have also added an extra tea to my routine, just because I have been feeling sick in the morning and the hot fluid feels good on my throat. Something to watch.
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Valkyrie hit me up with “You are looking very big”. That always happens right about the end of a gaining phase
Operation MILO Nutritional SITREP
Breakfast was a typical weekend deal of 2 omelets with 3 eggs, beef tallow, a combination of piedmontese grassfed New York Strip and pulled pork with jarlsburg swiss. Topped with ghee, and served alongside 4 strips of beef bacon, a piedmontese grassfed hot dog and half a bison cheddar sausage (going through leftovers).
Dinner was a full rack of ribs and sliced brisket from our favorite local BBQ place.
14 Likes
AM WORKOUT (0358 natural wake up)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO
Operation MILO Cycle 3, Week 3, Workout 1
MAIN WORK
SSB squat
4x8x305
Lever belt squat
4x8x255
Axle strict press from rack
4x8x143
(3) DB incline bench
4x8x75s
Dips
2x8x67.5
2x7+1x67.5
ASSISTANCE
Standing Ab Wheel
3x10
Lateral raise dropset
35x10, 10x5, 10x2.5, 10xEmpty Hands
Band pull aparts
30
Chins throughout workout
Notes:
- 1 min rest on all lower body. Went 90-105-120 seconds on the axle, 60-90-105 seconds on the incline bench, and 60-60-90 on the dips.
- Kept the weight the same on the dips as last workout, but got it done in a shorter timeframe, so it’s a density PR.
- Fought HARD to keep those squats at a minute rest. 3 weeks is definitely my limit on the SSB: it’s taking a lot out of me.
- My shoulders were smoked, so I kept the lateral raise reps pretty low today.
- I’m in a weird place where I’m excited at the prospect of training by don’t want to actually DO the training. Growing is awesome, and I love how strong I’m getting through this process since I’m actually eating to gain, but these training days are brutal. I’m looking forward to Operator, slimming down, longer rest and fewer reps.
- Weighed in at 84.8kg this morning: gaining is going real well. This marks a 3.2kg gain from the start of Mass Protocol. Coincides with my family meal yesterday of spaghetti with piedmontese beef meat sauce, some local Italian bread fried in ghee, and 5 of the Valkyrie’s cookies with some raw local honey and some fairlife skim milk.
- Keg carry was 243.5lb yesterday. It moved VERY slow. Part of that was just being late in the evening: was busy and forgot I needed to get this done. I am thinking that it might be time to wrap up the experiment at the very end of the Mass Protocol. That will be 9 weeks in and about 75lbs added from the start. I can reset the weight while I’m doing Operator so that, by the time I cycle back up to Mass Protocol, I can start pushing the weight again.
16 Likes
Operation MILO Nutritional SITREP
Breakfast for this week is 11.2oz of butterflied boneless leg of lamb from Aldi and 7.8oz of leftover kalua pig, to get me to 20oz of meat (realizing that the 11.2oz is raw weight while 7.8 is cooked, but whatever) alongside some beef liver, 3 whole eggs and 5 whites topped with ghee.
For dinner I made “greek meatballs”, using a combination of 1lb of ground lamb, 1 pound of ground pork and 1lb of 90/10 ground grassfed beef, 3 eggs, and some Papa Gyros greek seasoning. Air fried the whole lot of it after spraying it with some Wagyu beef tallow and served to the family with some homemade tzatziki sauce (a recipe we got in Mykonos from an executive chef, made by the kiddo and I), some crumbled feta, and my 3 eggs and 5 whites. No idea how many I had personally, but it was a generous amount.
12 Likes
AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrie’s alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL MASS PROTOCOL SPECIFICITY BRAVO
Operation MILO Cycle 3, Week 3, Workout 2
“ROWER RESET 20s”
5 rounds on the rower of
- 20 seconds max effort
- 2 minutes rest
8 minute recovery row
Notes:
- Final one of these for the cycle. Output was solid and recovery was on point in the 2 minutes. Used up the remainder of the time for a recovery row to meet the objective of “no more than 20 minutes of training”.
- This still felt restorative on my body, despite being a hard effort. My right knee, in particular, is feeling much better than yesterday. I’m having a “good knee day”. Ultimately, I believe I have some form of quadricep tendinosis based off some self-diagnosis. My annual physical is coming up soon and I’m hoping to get some imaging done.
- Keg carry was 245lbs yesterday. It’s definitely getting heavy. I’m glad I’m wearing the SHD knee sleeves, as I can feel this is beating up my knees a bit.
- Tang Soo Do tonight, and it’s sparring. Always a treat.
- This is the final week of gaining, and then I’ll go into 4 weeks of leaning out before back on the cycle. This has probably been my most successful concentrated gaining block ever, as far as body composition goes. I’ve gained 7lbs in 9 weeks, and though my abs have filled out, I haven’t gained the love handles I typically get nor the lower belly paunch. My weight belt still fits well, and pretty much all my typical indicators of getting “overfat” haven’t triggered like they typically would around this point. I feel like I’ve stumbled across something solid turning the maximum definition diet into a gaining diet. As far as training goes, with Wed Squat day I’ll be squatting 325 with a SSB for sets of 8, whereas when I started Tactical Barbell a year ago I was squatting 275 with a buffalo bar for the same reps, so that’s a 50lb gain with a harder bar. Helps put things in perspective. Sure, I haven’t actually hit the squat yet, but it’s there waiting for me. And even without that, I got 305 with 1 minute rests vs 275 with 2 minute rests, so STILL some solid growth.
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That’s awesome! Great progress in short amount of time, especially given how long you have been training. Unlike most people, I’m sure when you start leaning out there won’t be a huge water/glycogen dump either, since your diet is primarily protein/fat. In other words, a real 9lbs.
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