@strongmanvinny2 Thanks dude! Always means a lot coming from you. Been cool seeing us both grow to fill in the gaps.
@mattjp Thanks dude. I think all it’d really take at this point is dedicating myself to it, but the reps are treating me too good to deviate. It’ll come in time for sure.
PM WORKOUT
Captains of Crush grippers
#2
1x6
1x5
1x4
1x3
1x2
1x1
#1
1x6
1x5
1x4
1x3
1x2
1x1
Notes: Brought the grippers back earlier last week and just forgot to log it, but as I’m more able to diversify with no contest on the horizon, I’m strengthening things that tend to get neglected. Always cool that I can still hit a 2 for reps with months off. The grip strength never fully goes away. My left hand index and middle finger major knuckles get achy from this work, so something to be aware of, and this can tax my elbows too.
I wanna bring the neck work back too. And I got an idea of some hang power snatches to do on my squat work, since I have a better chance of getting in the ending position there compared to a clean. We’ll see what happens.
Hey Pwn I think you should just have pressed it up, I wouldn’t have taken you for a quitter.
Now it’s time work hard or we’ll think you’re weak.
Kidding man, awesome. I watched the video before your comment and I thought to myself Jesus he is pressing that sucker up. You really had it in you.
@kdjohn They’re fun toys for sure. Maybe not to greatest carryover to everything, but I still feel like it gets you a strong grip.
@mortdk Always appreciate it. Hell, I LIVE the moment and still watch the video and think I’m gonna get it, haha. Bar drift is my bane, but the strength is there.
Did some stretching for the first time in about 20 years. Just took it easy and basic, but could feel some positives from it. Won’t be head kicking anytime soon, but can at least get my foot above my waist.
@simo74 Reminds me of our earlier discussion regarding the merits of putting socks on before bed, haha.
EARLY PM WORKOUT
25 minutes of stretching
30 minute Tae Kwon Do lesson (teaching)
Break aways
Front punch
Back punch
Fighting stance
Kiai
MID PM WORKOUT
Buffalo bar squat
5xBar
5x140
3x230
1x320
1x410
REST PAUSE (12 deep breaths between sets)
6x450
3x450
2x2x450
1x450
9x360
5x360
3x360
2x360
1x360
5 MINUTE REST
SUPETSETS (snatch-hyper)
Hang power snatches
4x5xbar
Reverse hypers 360
4x21
Notes: Whole lot. I’ll start with the lifting. Got the 6 reps without having to rack the bar today, so called it a victory, but still wanted a clear separation from last week, so added an extra set of 2 and made my back off sets as though I had advanced to 7 on the topset. Solid middle ground. Came up with the idea for the snatches because I realized I had a better shot of hitting the finishing position than I could with a clean. My shoulder absolutely doesn’t like it, but it’s otherwise not bad. Just drilling the technique, but I think it has some potential.
Stretched out before TKD. Primary focus on legs (hamstrings, quads, hips, groin, etc). I think I can make this a daily habit. It’s nice to have a reason to stretch. I wasn’t going to do it just because I had to.
First TKD lesson with the kiddo went well. Buying a gi and belt online went a long way. They took to it well enough. I’m really torn, since most of this stuff isn’t effective for a fight, but I feel like I can still drill some self-defense elements to it while keeping the tradition and making it fun.
Question: I’m reading through Forever, and realized I don’t get the 7th Week Protocol. When used as a deload, which TM do you test? The one you’ve just spent a cycle training or the one you’re about to start your new cycle with?
When I ran it consistently, it was before I got the book and was from the article on here. Now that I’m sticking with the “new” version, it’s something I need to be correct about.
Gonna be honest: I never did the 7 week protocol. Seemed too complicated, and I don’t like training on my deload weeks. I always just do 5 forward/3 back with the TM.
Notes: Pretty much rediscovering who I used to be. Rope skipping went better than I would have anticipated. Did it in the basement, where I barely have enough clearance (thankful to be 5’9). Was able to do a few crossovers and small fancy tricks and not gas too bad. Kept it at 20 minutes since I’m still many years away from the last time I’ve done this, and wanted to take it easy.
Stretching shows improvement. Able to reach my toes on a few stretches.
TKD lessons are moving as well as they can. Kiddo is at least excited to learn. Kills me to teach them to take their hands away from their face when they punch, but that’s traditional marital arts for you.
Notes: 2:45 between benching, 2:00 between dips. Taking a day off between squats and benching and using the fat gripz was a miracle worker. Zero elbow issues. That said, my right shoulder has been pissed at me since those singles on press, and during the dips on the final set I felt something snag. It was around rep 3, so I went through the set to see if it’d work itself out. It sorta did, but I’m feeling some nerve pain around the neck right now. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard thing song before, so I’m just gonna ride it out and see if it does it’s normal thing.
Speaking of sings, Nine Inch Nails released 2 free albums today. All instrumental stuff, but still pretty nice for atmosphere.
My student bailed on me for Tae Kwon Do today. Said we’d do it tomorrow. Promises promises.
(5) Mat Pulls
5x135
5x225
3x315
1x405
1x495
1x585
2x1x645
SUPERSETS (dead-row)
Pause deadlifts 315
3x8
T-bar rows 3 45lb plates
3x10
Poundstone curls
100xAxle
20 minutes of stretching
30 minute Tae Kwon Do lesson (teaching)
Break aways
Front punch
Reverse punch
Low block
1 step/comb: Low block/reverse punch
1 step with walking
Notes: 3:45 between heavy pulls, 2:00 between super sets. 10lbs up from last week, but not a PR. Made an old mistake on the second set and let the bar drift forward on one of my hitches, so I had to fight it back. If I can keep that from happening, I can move a lot. Trying something different with the supplemental work and trying to make this a full on deadlift day. Pause deads are one of those things I always think about trying and never do, so today seemed like a good day to try. Fairly challenging, especially after the max effort work. After the rows, I went to do some chins and couldn’t bend my arms, so that might be a good sign. I’ll ride this out and see how it goes.
Stretching continues to improve with time.
TKD lessons are going decent. Noticed that my student’s punching is just becoming front raises when transitioning from the low block. Also realizing how absolutely stupid it is to keep your hand out after a punch compared to bringing it back to your face. Frustrating.
When I was young I did karate, not sure which discipline but it was definitely one that was geared more towards sport/tradition than real fighting. I remember my first sparring day I got paired up with a kid much bigger than me so my first move was to deliver a front kick straight to his chest. The instructors understandably did not want us using a move with our unpadded underfoot, but I was confused since it was a move they taught us. Lost interest pretty quickly after that experience.
The conflict between what is taught outside of sparring and what is taught inside of sparring with these sort of martial arts is certainly interesting. In boxing and muay thai, you spar as you’re taught outside of sparring, but TKD has some really unique stuff done for forms that you’d never use in a sparring situation, so it’s like you’re learning two entirely different arts as you go. I’m doing my best to try to reconcile them as I teach, but it’s tough.
But it also makes sense for kids (to an extent). I know you can teach a kid how to box if you set out to do it, because I’ve seen kid boxers/muay thai fighters, but for the crowd lacking some killer instincts it helps to give them SOMETHING to do with their hands when they punch, even if it makes absolutely zero sense from a combat standpoint. Tell a kid to keep their hands by their face when they punch and they go everywhere. Tell them to chamber their other hand at their waist when they punch and they have some idea of what to do.
So far I’ve just been big on telling them that this is for fun and heritage.
I find it really unfortunate that forms/kata aren’t taught properly anymore. TKD and karate are huge culprits for this. Forms are supposed to be used as guides for how stringing together various techniques in certain circumstances can look. They should also be practiced with a training partner so you have a body to train them against and build reflex. Additionally, bits and pieces of the forms should be dissected separate from the rest of the pattern and applied to varying scenarios, showing that the forms aren’t locked into one specific pattern, but can be separated as you see fit.
But unfortunately, because they haven’t been taught this way, so many instructors don’t even know how to do this with forms anymore, so they’re seen as useless outside of padding belt curriculum.
@kdjohn I always dug the idea of forms as “structured shadowboxing”, but like you said, it’s so rarely implemented that way and attempting to do so will be deemed as “incorrect” in most cases. Like, this is the first form I’m going to be teaching my kid
And there’s honestly a lot of good that could be mined from it, but then it won’t be done correctly. That whole “leaving the hand out at the end of the block/punch” thing just drives me crazy, and I get that can be a good way to teach power in the hips, but the form would be SO much valuable if the punch ended BACK at the fighting stance. It’d be such a small tweak to make, but it’s not “correct” when done that way.
And imagine if, instead of a straight line, you low/middle blocked while SIDE STEPPING and THEN lunge punched? Almost like how any boxer will create angles with footwork. It’d be the smallest tweak in the world and would ingrain such great habits. Instead, I spent a LONG time coming head on like a bulldozer when I first started striking for real.
It doesn’t have to be this way…
PM WORKOUT
DELOAD
GIANT SETS (press-dip-raise-pull aparts. Sets 1 and 4: trap bar. Sets 2 and 5: axle. Sets 3 and 6: log).
Trap bar press 165
2x10
Axle strict press 191
1x10
1x6
Log clean and strict press away 190
1x10
1x8
Dips
6xFailure
DB lateral raise 25s
6x15
Band pull aparts
6x13
Notes: 2:00 between giant sets. Holy cow I was feeling awful today. 3rd day in a row of lifting, and with the calories dropped I think I was feeling it. Ended up going trap bar first because I felt like it gave me a fighting chance. I’m bending back more than usual with it, but as long as I get it locked out I’ll be ok with it. Right front delt is so mad with me.
Going to stretch later today. Student is telling me they’re thinking every other day sounds like a good training plan. It begins.
Notes: Short day. Training 3 days in a row was showing on me, so this worked out well. Spent a lot of the TKD lesson drilling on how to block with the right side forward. I dislike having to drill both orthodox and southpaw, but it’s a big part of the curriculum, and it was at least helpful for learning some coordination. Learned it was helpful to give my student a kick to defend against rather than just a nebulous block for nothing. Granted, blocking a kick with your hands can be pretty dumb, but it at least got the idea going.
