Everyone tells bear tastes terrible, so bear sized turkey.
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For me, if Iām being honest, it was fear of doxxing more than protectiveness, though protecting their privacy was at play as well. It was a different time in terms of online stuff. It was considered sketchy. Even years after starting to post here, I kept it quiet that I was online dating because it was so odd and suspect to the older people I worked with. On par with saying that Iād met a guy at the strip club I liked to hang at. There was some anxiety for me about this site in particular - while SAMA was still here things could be pretty smutty - though now I freely admit being active āon a bodybuilding siteā along with being comfortable with having ordered my husband from the internet, same as I do my shoes.
Four children is unusual in todayās world, and when I started posting here I worked with kids. So keeping identifying details quiet felt important. As far as their privacy, I was and am very open about my internal world in the men/women threads that perennially pop up, and later about my dating and relationships. I didnāt want any of my boys to ever stumble across their mom, though I think Iāve behaved respectfully of them and myself, and have in return been treated respectfully by the other posters here. Now that theyāre grown, theyād probably be surprised to see this side of me, but not negatively. Iām much more relaxed.
Anyway! There are risks now that werenāt at play then, so I would probably make a similar decision for different reasons if my kids were little now.
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@EmilyQ I donāt think any of us could quite anticipate the legacy effect of this forum or social media in general. Itās why Iāve never posted my kid on any social media platform. Itās so weird to me that there are kids that have had their entire lives documented on facebook and are now grown adults dealing with tub photos of them as toddlers being out there for the whole world to see. Itās a very unique world we live in.
AM WORKOUT (0550 wake up via Valkyrieās alarm, 0730 workout)
TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 2, Workout 1
MAIN WORK
SSB front squat
5x5x245
ALTERNATE w/
Axle strict press from rack
5x5x168
Chins between sets
CONDITIONING
General Conditioning #5
3 rounds of
- 60 sec of dips
- 90 sec rest
- 60 sec push ups
- 90 sec rest
3 rounds of
- 5 burpees
- 10 chins
15 second standing ab plank
Notes:
- Had a rough night of sleeping last night and the day off work today, so I slept in and got the training done later. Fasted until noon, which was about a 22 hour fast from yesterday. Really digging the compressed eating window.
- This felt pretty good. Squats were smooth, press was strong. I cut the ab work short just to save a little time.
- Got the last part of GC#5 done in 3:00, a 30 second PR from last time.
- Yesterdayās keg carry was 270lbs. Up 95lbs from the start of the experiment.
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Nutrition recap.
With it being a holiday, I fasted until noon and then had 13oz of air fried beef rib fingers, 3 while eggs and 5 whites. Topped the whites with some grassfed sour cream.
Dinner was a turkey thigh and turkey wing.
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AM WORKOUT (0510 wake up via Valkyrieās alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 2, Workout 2
āCHARONāS TRINITYā
5 rounds of
- 1 min rower
- 1 min 24kg kb swings
- 1 min burpees
- 1 min rest
Notes:
- Still a buttkicker of a workout, and makes the 20 minutes go by quick. I wasnāt hurting as much as I was last week: starting to adjust again.
- Weighed in at 84.0kg this morning. Was 84.4 yesterday. Tonight will be the carb up meal, which is off schedule, but the day before deadlifts, so that will most likely be nice.
- Keg carry yesterday was 271lbs. First time I legit thought I wouldnāt be able to complete the carry. Starting getting sideways at one point. Hitting it on the days I lift tends to he bard compared to on non-lifting days.
- Tang Soo Do on the schedule for tonight. This week is most likely going to be a bit lower energy, since we have our tournament on Saturday.
- Moving forward, absent any competitions to prep for, I feel like a good battle rhythm for Tactical Barbell is 3 weeks Operator, 3 weeks Mass Protocol, 3 weeks specificity, 1 bridge week. 9 weeks of training tends to be where I want to take a bridge week, and especially so after the final week of specificity. This also sets up a longer form of āFeast/Famine/Ferocityā, in that I can spend 4 weeks (bridge and Operator) eating leaner and 6 weeks eating bigger. This feels like a good ābaselineā approach, from which I can modify as needed. I can extend the Operator cycles longer when it comes time for competition prep, or I can extend Mass Protocol longer if thatās the goal.
- With the above, the other idea/benefit is a core set of lifts that belong uniquely to each phase. Specifically: SSB front squat for the Operator phase, Buffalo Bar for the Mass protocol and SSB for specificity. Similar to conjugate, rotating the movement will keep me from getting too hammered doing the same movement week after week for too long. Iām feeling the benefits of using the SSB front squat as my knee continues to feel awesome and body is getting a break in general. I can do something similar with the pressing as well, using the log and the axle as needed.
- The one other part of this approach I dig is keeping the TMs tied to the protocols. Since Operator is a 6 week protocol, by training it 3 weeks at a time, it would be 20 weeks before I up the TM (2 full 10 week rotations). Allows adequate time to really settle in with the weight and master it.
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Ngl, this is one of my favorite daily updates. I wish I had implements and ability to do something like this.
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Itās really been a pretty exciting prospect. I still find myself forgetting about it too, and then thinking āoh crap: I gotta carry a keg today!ā haha.
If the desire is really there, there are a few options. You could make a t-handle out of plumbing pipe and load it with 2.5s and washers to get a very small increase. Another option could be a traditional keg that you load with a scoop of playground sand every day. I contemplated a Titan Hussafel stone that I load with individual links of chain daily as well. Or if you have a trap bar, you could get some small washers to load onto it daily to accumulate some gradual poundage.
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Well damn. I immediately went to FB marketplace and someone is selling one in town for $75, with 90# already in it. Trying to pick up in the next hour.
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Thatās a typo. That was the squat weight. 168 is the press weight
I weighed about 205lbs last time I could press that weight
Nutrition RECAP
Breakfast was 3 whole eggs, 5 whites, and 9.5oz of leftover darkmeat turkey. Last time I cooked something in the air frier, the post cook weight was 75% of the cook weight, so Iām using that math to make 9.5 to 13oz raw. No liver this week: ran out of time on the weekend to make it.
Dinner was the family meal. Goulash, a biscuit with honey and butter, 3 of the valkyrieās pumpkin oatmeal cookies with some raw local honey, a mug of fairlife skim and half a granny smith apple.
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Well now I feel like an ass for pointing it out lol. Totally just thought you pulled out some heavy poundage from a deep dark place lol
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@atlas13 No worries dude. Not the first time itās happened, both the typo and the response to it. At this point, I take it as a compliment that people believe the typo rather than believing it IS a typo. But yeah, my pressing strength fell off quite a bit with my bodyweight. When I was about 30lbs heavier, I was at my peak with this performance
Getting 241 for 5, and 256 and 266 for a single, just whiffing on 276.
Itās honestly hard to see those videos and NOT be that strong again, but I was giving up a lot of other things to be able to do that, and itās things Iām not willing to give up at this point. But I take solace in knowing that I DO know how to get back there if I ever wanted to try.
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm, rough night of sleep)
TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 2, Workout 3
MAIN WORK
SSB front squat
3x5x245
ALTERNATE w/
Axle strict press from rack
3x5x168
(2) Texas Deadlift Bar mat Pulls
10+3+4x455
ASSISTANCE WORK
Reverse hyper/standing ab wheel/band pull apart giant set circuit (no rest between exercises)
3x15x360/10/50
Lateral raise dropset
30x10, 30x5, 30x2.5, 30xEmpty Hands
Axle curls
1x50
Notes:
- Kiddo got me up at 0200 because the puppy had made a mess in itās crate. Got things cleaned up and situated and then dozed until the alarm went off.
- All that said, my first set of squats felt rough, but after that things really clicked, and I was feeling VERY strong in my deadlift warm-ups. I feel that my drop off in reps is more a product of reduced food intake compared to anything else, but I honestly COULD have fought for more reps: I just recognized that Iād spend more than Iād earn from that kind of effort. Next week is pulling off the floor, and then the cycle rests, along with the nutrition. I just need to hold on. 10 reps was the goal for the first pull, and I nailed that.
- I found myself with a bit of extra time at the end of the workout, so threw in some curls, but decided not to push them too far because every keg carry is pretty brutal these days and I donāt want exhausted biceps to be the reason for a failure at this point. Donāt want to change too many variables.
- Which, on that note, yesterdayās carry weight was 272.5lbs.
- Tang Soo Do was very technical yesterday. Lots of focus on details in the open hand forms. Most likely going to continue like that through the week.
- Weighed in at 84.4kg this morning. Good signs for a post carb up weigh in.
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Finally got some time to catch up on your log, dude. So many awesome things to read about between the nutrition, training, new addition to the family and obviously how jacked and strong you are, haha.
The food posts are awesome! What a great way to eat. I am also finding myself getting in two meals a day lately. I typically skip breakfast and have a decent sized mid day meal and a LARGE evening meal with the family.
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Always great to have you along brother! Iāve been reading along in your log as well: just havenāt had much to contribute. Very much appreciate the kind words, and concur on the eating approach as well. In full disclosure, I actually prefer the schedule you mention, or possibly even just one meal a day in general. What compels me to have the breakfast and dinner is that those are meals where Iām with my family, and I want to spend the time with them and have the social experience, and have my kid remember their dad as the guy at the table with them. But, if away from family, I naturally gravitate toward a smaller/later eating window.
Dr. Robert Kiltz is big on how giving the digestive tract a chance to rest is huge for our metabolic health, and having been on BOTH ends of the extreme, Iām super inclined to agree. I really want to dig Jon Andersenās Deep Water approach of frequent small feedings a day, but I noticed that it just ramps up my hunger and makes me super food focused and, in turn, Iām frequently visiting the bathroom to clear out my guts from SO much frequent eating. And itās never satisfying to eat a small meal. Iād rather sit down and FEAST and walk away from a meal not even wanting to THINK about food for the next 36 hours.
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Nutrition recap
Breakfast was 6.5oz of beef rib fingers and 4.8oz of turkey breast with 3 eggs and 5 whites.
Dinner was a turkey thigh, a wing, and the same assortment of eggs
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AM WORKOUT (0415 wake up via second alarm: slept through first)
TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 2, Workout 4
āGO RUCK YOURSELFā
Treadmill walk w/45lb vest
- Incline: 5.0
- Speed: 3.5mph
- Distance: 4 miles
- Time: 1hr 8min 30sec
Notes:
- First time Iāve ever slept through that first alarm. Part of me wonders if I just ended up shutting it off in the middle of the night. I woke up when I had 30 minutes left before it went off, but maybe in checking it that shut it off. Either way, this is why we have back ups. Cut a mile out of the ruck due to time constraints, but it was still a solid effort.
- Tang Soo Do last night was more tournament prep. We ended the night with breakfalls and board breaks, which got a little activity. I broke one of our harder boards with a reverse punch, which was satisfying.
- Keg carry yesterday was 273.5lbs. Today will be 275, which will mark 100lbs from the start of this experiment.
- Weighed in at 83.0kg this morning.
- I am glad I abandoned my 10k swing plans, as I will be working 12 hour shifts next week starting Tuesday and possibly through the weekend. Itās a great time for the lower intensity conditioning week/higher intensity lower volume week of TB, as Iāll need to get up earlier than usual to get to work on time. Will be doing meal prepping as well, with plans to eat my two meals at work rather than at home, which will save some time. Thankfully, carnivore meal prep doesnāt take much. Iāll be hardboiling a lot of eggs and most likely cooking up rib fingers or ground beef. Which, semi-related, my in-laws gifted me a bunch of ground venison from the farm in Iowa, so thatās awesome.
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Nutrition Recap
Breakfast was 9.5oz cooked of dark meat turkey with 3 whole eggs and 5 whites.
Dinner was a combination of beef rib fingers, turkey breast, and the same assortment of eggs.
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Man, I remember this video. That was a few months after I first got on t-nation. Earliest things I remember from your log was some insane pressing, and then videos of your ROM progression deadlifts with all the chains that were just badass. Different goals then vs now, Iām sure your health is night and day different, but that video is like a core memory of my early lifting days lok
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@atlas13 Iāve always wanted the chains to work with ROM progression, but it just seems like whenever I stick with straight weight on the Texas Deadlift Bar it just works better, haha. Alchemy is funny that way. And I got too addicted to being lean after cutting down from that all time high weight. I always remember what Kroc said after getting to be about 270lbs āIf I was in the soup aisle, Iād be labeled āhearty and chunkyā.ā
AM WORKOUT (0400 wake up via alarm)
TACTICAL BARBELL OPERATOR Week 2, Workout 5
MAIN WORK
SSB front squat
5x5x245
ALTERNATE w/
Axle strict press from rack
5x5x168
CONDITIONING
20 round EMOM
- First 5 rounds: 15kb swings w/24kg bell, 10 push ups, 5 chins
- Next 5: 10 swings, 10 push ups, 5 chins
- Next 5: 5 swings, 10 push ups, 5 chins
- Final 5: 4 1 arm swings (2 per arm), 10 push ups, 5 chins
ASSISTANCE
GHR sit ups
3x10
Band pull aparts
3x50
Notes:
- My electrolytes are off: had a real bad case of the head spins in my first set of squats, and my right bicep kept cramping. Making sure to up my intake.
- Aside from that, good training day. My elbows are in pain, and at first I thought it was from the keg carries, but I realize weāve been drilling staff work hard in Tang Soo Do these past 2 weeks in prep for the tournament, and that always jacks things up for me.
- I like the conditioning workout Iāve come up with. Itās like a version of Cindy without having to squat so much. Add 1 armed swings to the end as a means to continue keeping the heart rate up while maintaining the trend of reducing as time goes on.
- Weighed in at 82.6kg this morning (or .4, I keep forgetting which it was). Itās funny how there is a little bit of a satellite delay when nutrition changes. I was still gaining a little weight when I first dropped my food intake, and I remember at the start of the gaining phase I was dropping bodyweight despite eating more. Just more proof to trust the process.
- Tang Soo Do was moderate activity yesterday: just more drilling to prep for the tournament tomorrow.
- Keg carry yesterday was 275lbs: officially 100lbs heavier than the start of the experiment. This actually felt pretty good until the final 3 steps, where I went sideways and was afraid I was going to dump the keg or rupture my patella tendons. This experiment may come to a halt soon just with me picking up those 12 hour shifts next week, as I donāt intend to carry the keg at 0500 and Iām not sure Iāll be able to carve out the time in the evening after work, but it also IS just 1 quick trip a day, so I can probably make it work. One of the newer variables Iāve had to contend with is that the powder coating on the keg is abrasive enough that it tears open my shin each day. I tried wearing knee sleeves around my shin yesterday and that helped.
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This made me tilt my head. How did they know about the mess?
My daughter, age maybe 8-9, once reported having seen her brotherās hamster run past her bedroom doorway at like 3 am. She didnāt wake anyone, just noted it and reported it when the hamster was noticed to be missing in the morning. That particular hamster was an ace escape artist, and happily our labrador always seemed to know where she was (weād find the dog lying in front of and staring intently at a piece of furniture, which we eventually came to realize was where the hamster was holed up). Anyway, she had no explanation for why she was looking out into the hallway in the middle of the night, she justā¦was.
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This made me tilt my head. How did they know about the mess?
The pup sleeps in my kidās room. They actually have both of our dogs. Been great for developing responsibility, but occasionally things get beyond their capabilities and they call in for back up. Valkyrie and I are an outstanding triage unit, as we just go right into newborn mode, haha.
I had a hamster growing up, and I feel like your story confirms my own suspicions that hamsters arenāt pets: theyāre prisoners. I imagine they spend the majority of their time with us terrified, haha. But thatās also an outstanding story of kids getting into some unpredictable mischief. I may say chaos is the plan, but kids truly live it.
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