TM's Training Journal/Torture Log

[TM79]

Great job on the 5 miler Trent! Next week sounds like a fun break for you, but I imagine you will kicking azz like usual!

Thanks Shawn! Looking forward this week. I've got some interesting stuff written up and the variations are going to be sure to kick my azz.

[TM79]

Bench is really coming along, Trent. Loven the pull-ups too. I know its a real focus of mine too and its nice when you can pile them up. Gainz to be had doing them!

Thanks John! I'm loving the bench gains and the pull-ups are coming along nicely too. Hoping to continue getting those gains.

[TM79]

PR after PR .... bench and rows are looking great and you've still got upside there before you hit a plateau. Great pace on the trail run as well, especially when you're fighting off the pollen (one of the things that knocks me every year). Hope you and your family enjoy your Easter break Trent!

Thank you my friend. I'm hoping the plateau doesn't hit for a while. Yeah, that pollen is brutal huh? At least it doesn't last all year. We're having a nice and relaxing Easter. I think this is the first day I've taken off from both work and training in a long time and it sure is nice. Hope you all have a great Easter as well!

[fittofattofit]

Thank you my friend. I'm hoping the plateau doesn't hit for a while. Yeah, that pollen is brutal huh? At least it doesn't last all year. We're having a nice and relaxing Easter. I think this is the first day I've taken off from both work and training in a long time and it sure is nice. Hope you all have a great Easter as well!

Well deserved chocolate refeed day

[RT1957]

Strong bench and rows Trent...allergies...I feel for ya....I had them as a kid but I think I out grew most of them

[TM79]

Well deserved chocolate refeed day

Ha ha, you aren't joking. Plenty of leftover candy...

[TM79]

Strong bench and rows Trent...allergies...I feel for ya....I had them as a kid but I think I out grew most of them

Thanks Ron. It's funny, I outgrew them too and they recently came back.

[TM79]

Mesocycle 16. Week 4 (Variations). Session 1.

Front Squat
In 6-8 Sets, work up to some heavy triples - singles: 10x95, 5x135, 165, 3x185, 1x205 (PR 1 Rep Max), 1x225 (Didn't get depth)

Power Clean
In 6-8 Sets, work up to some heavy triples - singles: 3x95, 115, 135, 155, 1x165

Time: 30:00

Accessory Work
4 Rounds:
8 Clean Pulls at Max Power Clean Weight (175 lbs)
20 Walking Lunges (unweighted)
12 GHD Sit-ups

Time: 12:10

Conditioning: Intervals/Sprints

4 Rounds:
20 Burpees, Fast
400 Meter Run, Slow

Post Burpee Splits: 1:05, 1:11, 1:12, 1:06





Comments: Variations week so I'm trying some different lifts and taking it easy on the accessory work. The conditioning will remain relatively vigorous though...
Front Squat: Yep, they still suck. I'm calling 205 a PR as I don't recall ever doing that much weight before on that lift, but I haven't kept track of my PR's either. 225 was SOOOOOOO close, but a little high so I can't count it.
Power Clean: I just suck at this lift. That's all there is to it. These had a tendency toward muscle cleans, but I'll still call them power cleans. Wanted to keep going but my form was really starting to suck.
Accessory: Threw in some Clean Pulls to make up for the lighter variation of deadlifts I did. This accessory work, while easier than my usual work, was still very challenging. 3 tough movements.
Conditioning: This was the worst part of the workout. It's humid right now too so I am drenched in sweat.
Have a good night!

[baker]

Solid session dude, power clean looked nice and smooth. Are you using the crossed grip on those front squats? Couldn't tell from the angle.


Metcons.... uhhhhhhhh.

[TM79]

Solid session dude, power clean looked nice and smooth. Are you using the crossed grip on those front squats? Couldn't tell from the angle.


Metcons.... uhhhhhhhh.

Thanks Baker. Yes I did. I've been having some elbow pain for a week or two so I started off in Front Rack and then switched to cross grip after walk out. That helped to ease the pressure on the elbow.

[TM79]

Mesocycle 16. Week 4 (Variations). Session 2.

Coffee Session (5:30AM)

Push Press
In 6-8 Sets, work up to some heavy triples - singles: 10x75, 5x95, 115, 3x135, 1x155, 175 (Fail)

Weighted Hammer Grip Pull-ups
In 6-8 Sets, work up to some heavy triples - singles: 8x10, 6x25, 3x45, 2x65, 1x80, 1x100, 1x110 (Fail)

Time: 29:00

Accessory Work
4 Rounds:
8 Seated Dumbbell OHP, 40 lb Dumbbells
10 Curls, 40 lb Dumbbells
10 Reverse Hypers

Time: 7:25



Comments: Woke up at about 4:30AM and couldn't go back to sleep so I decided to try and get this one in. I may have an event to go to tonight for work so that solidified that decision. Variations Week continues. My current 1RM on Push Press is 195 so it would be cool to break that. Not sure if it's going to happen this early though...
Push Press: Not terribly happy with these, but on 6 hours of sleep, that was a decent showing. Definitely wasn't getting the leg drive and my shoulder and elbow are hurting so didn't want to push it any more.
Weighted HGPUs: Originally had regular grip pull-ups slated, but wanted to take it easy on the shoulder so I switched to HG. Decent sets. Didn't quite get there on that last set.
Accessory: Was definitely sweating after this. Nothing too hard, but that just made it easier to move through, which will get the blood and sweat flowing.
Ran out of time so will have to get some conditioning in later. Hope you all have a good day!

[RT1957]

Couple strong session TM....front squats are just hard...solid PR there...power cleans looked strong too...Nice work on the weighted PU's

[raynerd]

Great job of the front squat PR Trent, sounds like 225 is there already too. Power cleans I have never done but seems like a solid weight you are moving. Nice session this morning....so damn early....great job!!!

[TM79]

Couple strong session TM....front squats are just hard...solid PR there...power cleans looked strong too...Nice work on the weighted PU's

Thanks Ron. I agree with you 100% on Front Squats. There is nothing fun about that lift. Thanks on the cleans and weighted PU's too!

[TM79]

Great job of the front squat PR Trent, sounds like 225 is there already too. Power cleans I have never done but seems like a solid weight you are moving. Nice session this morning....so damn early....great job!!!

Thanks Shawn. I've seen several folks count reps that looked a lot like my rep at 225, but I'm not going to do it. Power Cleans, and Olympic lifts in general are just plain unnatural to me. I just like to do them here and there to mix it up. Thanks on this morning's session. It was a decent showing.

[TM79]

Mesocycle 16. Week 4 (Variations). Session 2.

Pre-Dinner "Appetizer" Session

Conditioning: Metcon

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
Run 400 Meters
15 L Pull-ups
15 Hip Extensions

Post Rounds/Reps Completed: 4 Rounds +200 Meters of Running

Metcon: This one wasn't too bad. I started off way too slow. Probably could've gone faster and gotten close to 5 rounds. The L-Pull-ups are what slowed me down. I can't hold that "L" for long so I had to reset at the bottom of each pull-up. Still managed to break a sweat by the end of this though.
Long day of work coming up tomorrow. Plenty of manual labor and probably no lunch. I'll plan to get bench (variation) done on Thursday. Have a good night!

[SixTribes]

Hammer grip +100 is BOSS!

[fittofattofit]

165 power clean looked wayyyy too easy for you! You said you suck at them but that looked way better than most I've seen (CF anyway ) Don't know how you can manage 1 minute splits for 20 burpees either

Awesome weighted pull-up Trent @ BW+100
I find L-sits really hard ... I watched someone do a legless rope climb holding a perfect L-sit the other day. He made it to the top of a 20' rope and back down in seconds 30 years younger then me though

[TM79]

Hammer grip +100 is BOSS!

Thanks ST! Ironically, that is also my 1RM for regular grip. At least it's consistent.

[TM79]

165 power clean looked wayyyy too easy for you! You said you suck at them but that looked way better than most I've seen (CF anyway ) Don't know how you can manage 1 minute splits for 20 burpees either

Awesome weighted pull-up Trent @ BW+100
I find L-sits really hard ... I watched someone do a legless rope climb holding a perfect L-sit the other day. He made it to the top of a 20' rope and back down in seconds 30 years younger then me though

Thanks Andrew! On the Power Cleans, I am both blessed and cursed to have a coach/mentor that is a perfectionist. If my form is anything short of perfect he is sure to tell me about it. Looking at that video, I would call it more of a Muscle Clean. I used my arms too much during the second pull. According to him, your arms are "like ropes" and only serve to hold the barbell during that part of the movement. If you have to "muscle it" at all, it is not a true power clean/snatch/etc. I had a few things going for me though. The back was nice and vertical at the start and the speed of the pull increased from first into second. That's about it though.

On the burpees, I just do them really fast and do sort've a hop at the top, not a big jump. And I'm usually still bent over at that. Some people do Target Burpees where you have to jump to a target one foot above max standing reach. That would be a whole other notch of suckage. Luckily, I have a 9 foot ceiling so I can't really do those.

Thanks too on the weighted pull-ups. That story about the guy doing the legless rope climb while holding an L-sit is insane. Talk about core strength!

[TM79]

4/19/17:

Killer Real Work Session

I worked for 10 hours at a very high demand job site. I carried lots of materials/gear and built several studded walls, etc. I would estimate that I climbed (and descended) over 100 flights of stairs, all while wearing a 50 lb backpack and sometimes carrying additional materials/equipment. I did however, break from my usual protocol and took a lunch break. Honestly, it wasn't a bad thing. It probably isn't healthy to starve yourself while burning that many calories. By the end of the day I was absolutely exhausted. Happy to be back at the desk for the next two days and hoping to hit some bench/rows tonight.

[RT1957]

Sounds like a day of "functional" training...

Just reading it was making me tired...do your legs get sore from all that climbing with loads??

[TM79]

Sounds like a day of "functional" training...

Just reading it was making me tired...do your legs get sore from all that climbing with loads??

Ha ha, thanks Ron. It kind've depends. My legs get more tired than sore. Yesterday they were tired from doing squats/deads 36 hours prior. If I would've gone into yesterday having not done any intense leg work in a few days I would've been strolling up and down the steps with ease. Today they are just a little tired (as is the rest of my body) from all of that work. The training regimen does a good job of keeping me in good overall shape for work like that. On the other hand, however, it can also inhibit my ability to complete tasks like that if I push it too hard in the weight room leading up to it. It's a double edged sword I guess. Better to train hard than to do nothing I suppose...

[TM79]

Mesocycle 16. Week 4 (Variations). Session 3.

Decline Bench
In 6-8 Sets, work up to some heavy triples - singles: 10x135, 5x165, 185, 205, 3x215, 225, 1x235, 245

One-Arm Landmine Rows (bar weighs an additional 25 lbs)
In 6-8 Sets, work up to some heavy triples - singles: 10x50, 5x60, 70, 80, 3x90, 100, 2x110, 2x120 (PR 1-2RM), 1x130 (PR 1RM)

Time: 35:00

Accessory Work
4 Rounds:
8 Overhead Press, 95 lbs
10 Inverted Barbell Rows (Regular Grip)
12 Reverse Hypers

Time: 6:45

Conditioning: Metcon

For Time:
50 Ground to Overheads, 25 lb Plate
25 Push Press, 135 lbs
50 Ground to Overheads, 25 lb Plate

Time: 11:35





Comments: Still plenty tired from yesterday, but going to go for it anyway.
Decline Bench: Pretty good sets. It still feels weird not having your legs locked in. I stopped at 245 as that was feeling pretty heavy and I wasn't setup to spot myself. Finally shot a video of my makeshift setup.
Landmines: I finally thought to use the fish scale to weigh the bar and found it to be roughly 25 lbs. Previously, I lost my grip after 110 lbs, which was my current 1-2RM. I had the thought to use some old leather belts as straps and solved the grip problem. Went ahead and beat my 1RM twice more and ended up finishing at 1 rep for 130 lbs (155 with bar weight). Very happy with that.
Accessory: Nice and challenging. I used the same barbell for both OHP and Inverted Rows so I had to hang clean it up to my chest to start OHP.
Metcon: This was a crossfit metcon that I subbed in G2OHs for 20 lb ball cleans. I also scaled the Push Press to 135 from 155. Those took most of the time and were broken into mostly sets of 3. Drenched in sweat now as it is about 85 in here and humid. Just around the corner from the real heat.
Well, just a run left to do and that will be either tomorrow evening or Saturday morning. Hope you all have a good night!

[raynerd]

Sweet session Trent, strong pressing on the declines and beast mode on the landmine rows! Accessory work looked like an awesome combo and Metcon was killer!

[TM79]

Sweet session Trent, strong pressing on the declines and beast mode on the landmine rows! Accessory work looked like an awesome combo and Metcon was killer!

Thanks Shawn. That was a good workout all the way around. Strong and fun.

[TM79]

Mesocycle 16. Week 4 (Variations). Session 4.

Conditioning: Distance Run, Outdoor, Paved & Trail
5 Miles, 45:32, 9:06 Pace, ~680 Calories

Comments: Well that was horrible. I must be fighting whatever my coworker had on Wednesday because I had no energy at all for that run. I stopped and walked about 5 times for about 30 seconds or so. Also, things have been stressful at home and there was so much pollen in the air that I had to keep wiping it out of my eyes. I must've been out of it because I forgot to start my running app so I just went with the time on my stopwatch, calculated the pace and estimated the calories. The route was my usual 5 mile route so I know the distance was accurate. Oh well, we'll try it again next week.

[Hammerhagen]

ah man...I can imagine how pollen and stress at home make for a chitty distance run. good work getting it dun. get well soon

[TM79]

ah man...I can imagine how pollen and stress at home make for a chitty distance run. good work getting it dun. get well soon

Thanks my friend. It wasn't a great showing today, but the next time will hopefully be better.

[TM79]

Mesocycle 16. Week 5. Session 1.

Squat
Work up to 3(8x200): 8x135, 185, 200, 200, 200

Deadlift
Work up to 3(8x270): 8x235, 255, 270, 270, 270

Time: 19:45

Accessory Work
4 Rounds:
8 A2G Squats, 135 lbs
10 Dumbbell Power Cleans, 40 lb Dumbbells
12 Target Jump Squats (Target 1 Foot Above Max Standing Reach)
5 Hanging L-Sit Hold with a 3 Second Pause at the top (back against the barbell)

Time: 15:50

Conditioning: Intervals/Sprints

Look at a running clock and complete the following:
One minute of Burpees: 19
30 seconds of Rest
One minute of running (Slow)
30 seconds of Rest
One minute of Box Jumps: 26
30 seconds of Rest
One minute of running (Slow)
30 seconds of Rest
One minute of Air Squats: 53
30 seconds of Rest
One minute of running (Slow)
30 seconds of Rest
One minute of Running (Fast): 0.20 Miles
30 seconds of Rest
One minute of running (Slow)
30 seconds of Rest

Comments: Ahhh yes, 8's week. Otherwise known as hell. On top of that, I have to go out of town this week on Wednesday night and then have to leave Friday to go out of town for the weekend. So it will be an abbreviated week. Otherwise known as more hell, faster hell, harder hell. OK, enough complaining. Let's get it done.

Squat: These weren't too bad. My knees are still sore from the high bar style squat work last week and yesterday's run. Overall I felt pretty tight so depth wasn't as good as it could be. The reps were good though.

Deadlift: Eight, eight, eight is NOT great. That was rough. Got through it though. No vids as, well, let's face it, watching vids of 8 reps is like watching paint dry.

Accessory Work: Man, that was tough. First time doing squats in accessory work in a while and A2G at that. Follow that with some pretty heavy DBPC's, target Jump Squats and Hanging L-Sits and no wonder I'm drenched in sweat. So now, time for conditioning (muffled laugh).

Interval/Sprints: Tried to get creative with this as I've been doing burpees/running for a while now. This was pretty cool and not that difficult. I might use this as a loose template for the rest of the cycle and vary the movements, durations, etc.

Closing: Good, tough workout today. Planning to hit some OHP/Pull-ups/Metcon tomorrow. I may have to do Bench/Rows on Tuesday as well. That is three straight days of high reps torture. Then my run will be Thursday or Friday. Have a good day!