TM's Training Journal/Torture Log

[TM79]

Good looking workout today Trent. Nice job with the sets of 6 on the hex deads and OHP. Both of those lifts are looking strong. I like the look of your accessories too. Those BBB sets, with the added volume, will pay off big time.

Keep up the good work!

Thanks Greg. Warmup weights for you but I appreciate it. Hoping those BBB sets pay off.

[TM79]

(Superset)
Box Squat
Work up to a heavy set of 6 reps.
10x135
8x165
6x185
6x205
6x225

One-Arm Landmine Rows, (PWO)
Work up to a heavy set of 6 reps.
10x25
8x35
8x45
8x45
6x55

Time: 18:20

Bench
Work up to a heavy set of 6 reps.
10x135
8x155
6x175
6x185
6x195

Time: 14:40

Accessory I
4 Rounds:
10 Landmine Squats, 130 lb
10 Bench Press, 115 lb
10 Ring Rows
10 GHD Sit-ups

Time: 9:35

Conditioning: Metcon

Complete as many reps as possible in 12 minutes of:
1 strict pull-up, 2 push-ups, 3 squats
2 strict pull-ups, 4 push-ups, 6 squats
3 strict pull-ups, 6 push-ups, 9 squats
Etc.

Post finishing point and total reps:
Finished the round of 9, 18, 27 and completed 10 pull-ups in the next round before 12 minutes expired. No time to count reps.

Comments: I actually lost a lot of sleep last night over Luke Kuechly’s retiring. To me, he embodied the spirit of the game of football. Much of which has been lost due to million-dollar contracts and a self-serving/entitlement mentality. His dedication and strict discipline when it came to preparation, physical training, mental toughness and his passion for the game, along with his God-given talent enabled him to play at a level that I doubt we will ever see again. Not to mention he just did it the old-fashioned way. He wasn’t on social media. He didn’t complain. He just went out there and played harder than everyone else and did it with exemplary character. These are the qualities that I have tried to live by in my life and to me, his retiring just cheapened the game significantly. I once told a fried, “if I could approach my life with half of the dedication and grit with which Luke Kuechly approaches football, I would be exponentially more successful than I am right now.” I do wish him well in the next chapter of his life and thank him for the 8 years he spent with our team. On to some squats…

Box Squats: These felt good. I had another set at 235 or 245 in the tank.

Landmines: Screwed up my weight on these. I realized it and added a few reps.

Bench: The last set was T&G. Other than that, these felt pretty good.

Accessory: Hated to sub in Landmine squats for regular BBB squats but I was short a barbell so I had to use the Landmine (shorter barbell). Still threw 100 lbs on the bar and I’ve estimated that barbell to weigh about 30 lbs so that was about 130. Great combo of movements.

Metcon: Did pretty well on this. The bicep pain continues. Oh well…

Have a great day!

[TM79]

Conditioning: Metcon

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
10 strict knees-to-elbows
20 single-leg squats, alternating (assisted)
30-foot handstand walk (Sub 16 DB OHP Alternating, 40 lb)

Post rounds completed: 6

Comments: It’s been a tough week. Lots of projects kicking off at work so there are just tons of meetings and details to work out. Sorry for my absence in the journals this week. I’ll catch up soon. Out here for a metcon this morning and will hopefully get to run tomorrow morning.

Metcon: Finished 6 rounds a few seconds prior to 20 minutes. The pistols were assisted by holding onto a ring. The DB OHP was a good sub. Got it done.

Have a good Friday folks!

[shaneinga]

Nice workouts this week Trent.

Sorry to see Luke retiring. Matt Ryan posted up a picture of Luke crushing him and Matt saying he wasn’t going to miss this. LoL. He did however go on to wish him his best and how say how much he admired him as a competitor.

I think you hit it on the head though. The guy embodied the idea of taking your God given talent and making the most of it. His talents were definitely not waisted. I read on IG how he didn’t have cable his first 4 years in the league because he didn’t want it to take time away from watching tape. Insane dedication to his craft.

Have a good weekend. Hopefully those work projects move along as smoothly as possible.

[TM79]

Nice workouts this week Trent.

Sorry to see Luke retiring. Matt Ryan posted up a picture of Luke crushing him and Matt saying he wasn’t going to miss this. LoL. He did however go on to wish him his best and how say how much he admired him as a competitor.

I think you hit it on the head though. The guy embodied the idea of taking your God given talent and making the most of it. His talents were definitely not waisted. I read on IG how he didn’t have cable his first 4 years in the league because he didn’t want it to take time away from watching tape. Insane dedication to his craft.

Have a good weekend. Hopefully those work projects move along as smoothly as possible.

Thanks brother. Yeah, I admire anyone with that kind of dedication. To me, this is a pretty accurate representation of our society as a whole. People in our generation and especially the younger generations are a far cry from our grandparents' generation. Discipline, dedication, servitude and integrity were a way of life back then.

[TM79]

Conditioning: Distance Run
4 Miles. 35:45, 8:55 Pace, 502 Calories

Comments: Cold and cloudy out there this morning. 40 degrees to be exact. I didn’t sleep well all week and had a few too many beers last night so none of that made for a good run. I still managed under a 9-minute mile pace though so I’ll take it. Hope you all have a great weekend!

[ElrondHubbard]

Conditioning: Distance Run
4 Miles. 35:45, 8:55 Pace, 502 Calories

Comments: Cold and cloudy out there this morning. 40 degrees to be exact. I didn’t sleep well all week and had a few too many beers last night so none of that made for a good run. I still managed under a 9-minute mile pace though so I’ll take it. Hope you all have a great weekend!

Speaking of dedication! Now get some sleep!

[TM79]

Speaking of dedication! Now get some sleep!

Thank you Sir! I've struggled off and on with sleeping for about 10 years now. It seems that whenever I am unsettled about something or going through a hard time, these sleep problems tend to come out. I'll wake up in the middle of the night, start thinking about something and then, before you know it, I"m wide awake. It's pretty unfortunate, but I guess we all have our issues...

[GrouchyUSMC]

Nice work Trent. Now get a nap!

[TM79]

Box Squat
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10x135
8x165
6x185
6x205
4x225
4x245
3x265
3x275

Time: 22:30

(Superset)
Overhead Press
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10x75
8x85
6x95
6x105
4x115
4x125

Hammer-Grip Pull-ups (Weighted)
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10xBW
8xBW+10
6xBW+20
4xBW+35
4xBW+35
3xBW+45

Time: 15:50

Accessory
4 Rounds:
12 Goblet Squats, 40 lb
10 Straight Bar Curls, 55 lb
12 Push-ups on the Barbell
8 GHD Sit-ups

Time: 8:15

Conditioning: Intervals/Sprints
40 Burpees: 2:50
800 Meter Run (Treadmill): 4:00


Comments: My daughter woke me up at 3:00AM and I never really got back to sleep. Not exactly primed for my heaviest squat session of the cycle, but I’m out here nonetheless. It’s 6:00AM and 28 degrees outside. It’s warmer in the garage but still pretty cold. I was debating about whether or not to go heavy this week and I think I should. If for no other reason than I’m about the heaviest I’ve been in a year or so.

Box Squat: I’m honestly shocked to get a triple at 275. That is probably the heaviest squat set I’ve done in two years. Shoot, at that weight, even if Shane and Greg didn't know me, they might not be upset if I was hogging the squat rack at their gym

OHP: Nice and strong on these. I wanted to keep going but squats took too long.

Pull-ups: Switched to hammer grip because it isn’t as bad on my sore bicep. Good stuff.

Accessory: Just some bro work here.

Conditioning: Condensed this down from what I was going to do. That running sucked immediately following the burpees. Done.

Hope you all have a great day!

[shaneinga]

Nice squatting Trent. You definitely could work in with me anytime at the rack at my gym.

It honestly looked like you had another 10 to 15 pounds in you or another couple reps at 275 as well. You had some really good volume working up to that top set as well. Real impressive day under the bar. Even more so that you had a 3AM wake up call.

[Cantplankwell]

Box Squat
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10x135
8x165
6x185
6x205
4x225
4x245
3x265
3x275

Time: 22:30

(Superset)
Overhead Press
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10x75
8x85
6x95
6x105
4x115
4x125

Hammer-Grip Pull-ups (Weighted)
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10xBW
8xBW+10
6xBW+20
4xBW+35
4xBW+35
3xBW+45

Time: 15:50

Accessory
4 Rounds:
12 Goblet Squats, 40 lb
10 Straight Bar Curls, 55 lb
12 Push-ups on the Barbell
8 GHD Sit-ups

Time: 8:15

Conditioning: Intervals/Sprints
40 Burpees: 2:50
800 Meter Run (Treadmill): 4:00


Comments: My daughter woke me up at 3:00AM and I never really got back to sleep. Not exactly primed for my heaviest squat session of the cycle, but I’m out here nonetheless. It’s 6:00AM and 28 degrees outside. It’s warmer in the garage but still pretty cold. I was debating about whether or not to go heavy this week and I think I should. If for no other reason than I’m about the heaviest I’ve been in a year or so.

Box Squat: I’m honestly shocked to get a triple at 275. That is probably the heaviest squat set I’ve done in two years. Shoot, at that weight, even if Shane and Greg didn't know me, they might not be upset if I was hogging the squat rack at their gym

OHP: Nice and strong on these. I wanted to keep going but squats took too long.

Pull-ups: Switched to hammer grip because it isn’t as bad on my sore bicep. Good stuff.

Accessory: Just some bro work here.

Conditioning: Condensed this down from what I was going to do. That running sucked immediately following the burpees. Done.

Hope you all have a great day!

Very nice work on the squats Trent, watching you come back is inspiring me to get moving and stop be so cautious. Very jealous of those OHP numbers as well. And then to do sprints after all of that. Good idea on the hammer grip, I find anything hammer grip easier on me as well. However some bad news, the sleeping issues just get worse with age for no good reason...trust me !!

[PtReyesGreg]

Awesome workouts lately Trent! Great job on that triple at 275. I saw the video on IG and it looked great. You can definitely hold your own in the squat rack.

I use the hammer grip a lot on chins too. It's easier on the biceps and the shoulders too.

Nice job on the run the other day too. Too much beer and not enough sleep is definitely a hard combo to run with but you knocked it out man.

[TM79]

Nice squatting Trent. You definitely could work in with me anytime at the rack at my gym.

It honestly looked like you had another 10 to 15 pounds in you or another couple reps at 275 as well. You had some really good volume working up to that top set as well. Real impressive day under the bar. Even more so that you had a 3AM wake up call.

Thanks brother. Yeah, I definitely had a few more reps or a little more weight but was happy to escape without injury so I'll take it. Maybe one of these days we can meet up and you can make me look bad.

Very nice work on the squats Trent, watching you come back is inspiring me to get moving and stop be so cautious. Very jealous of those OHP numbers as well. And then to do sprints after all of that. Good idea on the hammer grip, I find anything hammer grip easier on me as well. However some bad news, the sleeping issues just get worse with age for no good reason...trust me !!

Thanks so much CPW. Don't tell me the sleep stuff gets worse! I would imagine lots of things get worse the older you get...

Awesome workouts lately Trent! Great job on that triple at 275. I saw the video on IG and it looked great. You can definitely hold your own in the squat rack.

I use the hammer grip a lot on chins too. It's easier on the biceps and the shoulders too.

Nice job on the run the other day too. Too much beer and not enough sleep is definitely a hard combo to run with but you knocked it out man.

Thanks Greg. Yeah, the hammer grip seems to help out a ton with bicep and shoulder pain. It's a more natural motion. Thanks on that run too. It was a tough one.

[TM79]

Hex Deads
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10x185
8x205
6x225
6x245
4x265
4x285
4x305

Time: 24:40

(Superset)
Bench
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10x135
8x155
6x175
6x186
4x195
4x205
1x225

Landmine Rows, One-Arm (PWO)
Work up to a heavy set of 4-1 reps.
10x25
8x35
6x45
6x55
4x65
4x75

Time: 18:05

Accessory
One set of 115 lb CG Bench for max reps: 21
20 Two-Arm Landmine Rows, 75 lb
20 Landmine Squats, 75 lb
20 Back Extensions
One set of 115 lb Regular Bench for max reps: 22
20 Two-Arm Landmine Rows, 75 lb
20 Landmine Squats, 75 lb
20 Back Extensions

Time: 7:15

Conditioning: Metcon

For time:
10 strict pull-ups in AFSAP
10 strict ring dips in AFSAP
100 DB OHP, 30 lb (alternating) in AFSAP
10 strict pull-ups in AFSAP
10 strict ring dips in AFSAP

Each time you break, stop and plank hold for 20 seconds.

Time: 7:43


Comments:

Hex Deads: I’m having a fair amount of lower back and hip pain so I won’t be swinging for the fences on these today. Shoot, I was hitting the foam roller between sets on these. At least I got some good squats in yesterday…

Bench: I feel like I had a rep at 235 but I have an electrician here looking at some stuff so I was really moving through this quickly and don’t have time to go any higher.

Landmines: Good stuff, as always…

Accessory: Good stuff here too. Everything is pumping now.

Metcon: That as pretty cool. I had at least one break in every set. I had four breaks in the DB OHP. Those were really tough by the end.

Alright, just a metcon and a run left to do this week. Hope you all have a good day!

[ElrondHubbard]

Great work, Trent. The Bench, Deadlifts, Squats, are all really impressive. The OHP thrills me the most! I've never gotten more than 120x2, and it will be months before I'm ready to try that again!

And that's WITH the family distractions. You're a better man than I!

[TM79]

Great work, Trent. The Bench, Deadlifts, Squats, are all really impressive. The OHP thrills me the most! I've never gotten more than 120x2, and it will be months before I'm ready to try that again!

And that's WITH the family distractions. You're a better man than I!

Thank you kindly Sir. OHP is by far the most fickle of all of those lifts. I could hit 4x125 right now, being about as heavy as I tend to get all year. By summertime I'd be lucky to get one rep at 125 (hopefully). Still, you tend to hit the ceiling on that lift pretty abruptly. I'd bet I could just barely squeak out 1 rep at 135.

[TM79]

Conditioning: Metcon

Complete as many rounds as possible in 20 minutes of:
400-m run
3 rounds of Strict Cindy

1 round of Strict Cindy is 5 strict pull-ups, 10 push-ups, and 15 squats.

Post rounds completed: 4 rounds.

Comments: Last cold morning out here for a while, or so it says. 26 out here right now. It isn’t really supposed to get down below freezing for the next week or two after this and highs are supposed to be in the 50’s. Sounds great for this time of year.

Metcon: Well that got the blood flowing. The runs were on the treadmill. I started at 8:30/mile pace and worked up to about 7:30 mile pace. I did the push-ups using two dumbbells and kept very strict form. Had some bicep pain during the pull-ups but what else is new…

Have a good one folks!

[PtReyesGreg]

Good looking metcon today Trent. Man that Cindy looks like a tough woman...lol!

That's an awesome pace on the treadmill!

[shaneinga]

Solid week of training Trent.

Sorry for the slackness in the journals this week.

Metcons always impress me. Knocking out 4 rounds of Cindy is damn impressive!

Numbers are all looking good in here Trent!

We sent a ton of rain your way today. Try not to float away.

Have a great weekend!

[TM79]

Good looking metcon today Trent. Man that Cindy looks like a tough woman...lol!

That's an awesome pace on the treadmill!

Thanks buddy. She is.

Solid week of training Trent.

Sorry for the slackness in the journals this week.

Metcons always impress me. Knocking out 4 rounds of Cindy is damn impressive!

Numbers are all looking good in here Trent!

We sent a ton of rain your way today. Try not to float away.

Have a great weekend!

That's all good man. I know how it is... Yeah, I heard that rain last night. That was a like a summer storm! You too!

[TM79]

Conditioning: Distance Run. Outdoor, Paved.
4.50 Miles, 40:20, 8:57 Pace, 564 Calories

Comments: Took it somewhat easy on this one. I went a little further than usual. Still managed under a 9-minute mile pace. I’ve been surrounded by sick people all week so I’m hoping that I can somehow hold off the crud. This run probably didn’t help. Just a nice 12 rep week coming up and then it’s off to Vegas next weekend.

Have a great weekend!

[TM79]

(Superset)
Box Squat
Work up to a heavy set of 12 reps.
12x145
12x165
12x185

Hex Deads
Work up to a heavy set of 12 reps.
12x165
12x185
12x205

Time: 11:35

(Superset)
Overhead Press
Work up to a heavy set of 12 reps.
12x65
12x75
12x85

Hammer-Grip Pull-ups
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Time: 7:25

Accessory
4 Rounds:
6 Arnold Press, 40 lb DB
4 Straight Bar Curls, 85 lb
12 KB Swings, 40 lb
10 GHD Sit-ups

Time: 9:50

Conditioning: Intervals/Sprints
3 Rounds:
12 DB Clean & Press, 30 lb
400 Meter Jog

Comments: Like many, I was very sad to hear about Kobe Bryant’s passing. Especially with his daughter on the helicopter. I didn’t know much about the guy but evidently he meant a lot to a lot of folks. Sorry to hear about that. Prayers to his family and friends.

Well, it’s time to do some lighter weight this week to wrap up the cycle. That means 12’s. My lower back, hip and foot are all hurting right now so I’m going to try to take it easy.

Box Squat/Hex Deads: Powered through these pretty quickly. Man, it feels good to have that done for a little while.

OHP/PU: Definitely plowed through those.

Accessory: This was harder than the lifting was. Ha ha. Got it done.

Intervals/Sprints: Got ‘em done.

Have a good Monday!

[shaneinga]

Really solid session of 12s Trent. Squats and deads for multiple 12 rep sets in a session would have qualified for my conditioning being checked off for the day.

That session reads like a very effective one!

Kobe, you pretty much nailed my sentiments as well. Though I don't watch a ton of basketball, I did pay attention to Kobe. Kobe embodied the idea of mastering his craft and being a fierce competitor, much the same as Luke did while they were in the game. The first thing I said when I saw that he had gone down in a helicopter was I hoped his daughter wasn't with him. Unfortunately she was. Really sad all the way around.

[TM79]

Really solid session of 12s Trent. Squats and deads for multiple 12 rep sets in a session would have qualified for my conditioning being checked off for the day.

That session reads like a very effective one!

Kobe, you pretty much nailed my sentiments as well. Though I don't watch a ton of basketball, I did pay attention to Kobe. Kobe embodied the idea of mastering his craft and being a fierce competitor, much the same as Luke did while they were in the game. The first thing I said when I saw that he had gone down in a helicopter was I hoped his daughter wasn't with him. Unfortunately she was. Really sad all the way around.

Thanks brother. Yeah, it looks like you burned some calories doing deads yesterday too. Yep, I appreciate anyone who works hard and prepares for their job/sport. Especially when they could easily just coast on their God-give talent. Hate to see him and his daughter go. That is a heck of a tragedy.

[TM79]

(Superset)
Bench
Work up to a heavy set of 12 reps.
12x135
12x145
12x155

Landmine Rows (One-Arm, PWO)
Work up to a heavy set of 12 reps.
12x25
12x35
12x45

Time: 10:04

Accessory
4 Rounds:
12 Goblet Squats, 40 lb
8 Straight Bar Curls, 65 lb
12 Push-ups on the Barbell
10 Back Extensions

Time: 8:31

Conditioning: Metcon
Complete as many rounds as possible in 12 minutes of:
10 DB Squat Cleans, 30 lb
10 Handstand Push-ups (Piked)
20 GHD Sit-ups

Post rounds completed: 3 Rounds in 11 minutes

Comments: Our son caught our daughter’s cold so I am steady fighting off the crud. Got some good sleep last night so hopefully that will help. This is, for all intents and purposes, the last lifting session for me of this cycle (unless a miracle happens later this week and I do some accessory work). This is a true ninja session with a goal of no sound at all. My wife is asleep in the neighboring room.

Bench: These felt super light, thankfully.

Landmines: Nothing crazy here.

Accessory: Nice little pump session.

Metcon: Sort of combined two metcons that I found on crossfit for this one. Deleted or subbed the noise making stuff for quieter movements. I was quickly reminded of why I don’t do squat cleans anymore as my knees started hurting pretty quickly. I switched to a wider stance which helped some. Stopped at 3 rounds.

Have a good day folks!

[PtReyesGreg]

Wow Trent! Those sets of 12 sound tough brother. I do a first set of 12 (with the lightest weight) but I don't do sets of 12 across like you do. That must give you a big pump.

I really like that accessory circuit. That one seems to hit everything. That's a lot of work in 8.5 minutes.

That metcon sounds very brutal. There's no chance of me borrowing that one lol!

Good luck getting your kids healthy and avoiding the crud again yourself. This year it keeps coming back again and again.

[TM79]

Wow Trent! Those sets of 12 sound tough brother. I do a first set of 12 (with the lightest weight) but I don't do sets of 12 across like you do. That must give you a big pump.

I really like that accessory circuit. That one seems to hit everything. That's a lot of work in 8.5 minutes.

That metcon sounds very brutal. There's no chance of me borrowing that one lol!

Good luck getting your kids healthy and avoiding the crud again yourself. This year it keeps coming back again and again.

Thanks Greg. Yeah, I switch rep numbers every week and try to do around 40 reps total per main lift so on 12's week its 3 sets of 12. Most of the other weeks more closely resemble your rep counts. Yep, still sticking with the whole body routines most of the time now, including accessory work. That metcon was pretty tough. Squat cleans are terrible. And yeah, the crud seems to be in full effect right now. Hoping to keep dodging it. At least until after Vegas.

[TM79]

Lunch Session at the YMCA

Bro Work

(Superset)
HS Bench
10x45
8x55
6x70

HS Lat Rows
12x45
10x60
6x90

Time: 6:20

(Superset)
Box Squat (14”)
8x135
8x135
8x135

HS OHP
10x45
10x45
10x45

Time: 6:40

(Superset)
Straight Bar Curls
10x60
8x70
6x80

Decline Sit-ups
12xBW
12xBW
12xBW

Time: 4:30

Conditioning: Stair Climber
100 Floors
22:40
311 Calories

Comments: First time back at the Y since before Christmas. They have replaced almost all of their equipment. I walked back to the “back room” and to my delight, I saw a few new Hammer Strength plate loaded machines. I haven’t done those in probably 20 years or so and have missed them so badly. So of course, I managed to get all of them in.

I woke up this morning with a sore lower back and thought that some gym work might help loosen it up. Wrong. It was probably the box squats that really got me as they were to a bench that is noticeably lower than mine. By the time I got to the straight bar/sit-ups I was in a fair amount of pain and was in pain for the entire stair climber session.

Stair Climber: First attempt at this. I did every other stair for about two thirds of it. I’ll tell you what, that is not the machine you want to be on if you are not feeling sharp that day. It seems like it would be really easy to eat sh!t with a split second of absent mindedness (which is almost the entirety of my existence nowadays ). I kept the pace at a manageable level and only had a few near misses.

After working out I went and rode up the side of a building on a swing stage (wearing my gym clothes). It was pretty brisk up there in the shade and wind and I was stiff as a board afterwards. Stopped by the drug store on the way back to the office and am now wearing an Icy Hot patch. Hopefully that helps… I’m leaving for Vegas on Sunday morning so hopefully this pain is mostly subsided by then.

Have a good day!

[shaneinga]

2 sweet sessions Trent. Sets of 12 are always great for a killer pump. Sorry to hear you have been fighting off the crud. It seems to be going around.

Awesome to hear that your YMCA has got a bunch of new equipment. I really like the HS stuff as accessory work. Most of their machines are adjustable to fit just about anyone.

That was a good pace on the stair climber and you are right, it's not a machine you want to be absent minded on. It can turn ugly quick.

Sorry to hear about your back.

Hoping it heals up quickly for you.