2/9/21 - ME Close Grip Bench and Some Other BS
Hit a quick lunchtime session today. I plan on going to BJJ tomorrow so I didn’t want to get too crazy.
Close Grip Bench - 225 x 3
DBL KB Incline Rows - 18s x 5 x 12-15 superset with
One-Arm KB Incline Bench - 24 x 3 x 8
Good little pump. Followed this up by walking one awesome mile with Arvid.
2/8/21 - ME SSB Box Squats and KB Cleans
Really good lunchtime training session today.
SSB Box Squats (16”) - 220 + 50 lbs chains x 5, 170 + 50 lbs chains x 3 x 5
One-arm KB Cleans - 32 x 3, 36 x 3, 40 x 3, 44 x 3, 48 x 2 x 5
Short and sweet. It felt great to do some box squats again and not have my shoulders killing me after squatting.
2/6/21 - Jiu-Jitsu Day 4
This was a really fun Saturday class. The spider guard techniques we worked on were kind of difficult to get right, but it was a great workout and I got a lot of live rolling in. Good times. Onward and upward.
2/5/21 - Press and Pull-ups
Lunchtime training today. This has been kind of a long and brutal week. I didn’t feel super strong today but I pushed on.
Press - 105 x 5, 120 x 3, 135 x 3, 140 x 3
KB Push Press - 28s x 3 x 6
Weighted Chins - 10 kg x 5 x 3 (various grips)
I need a few nights of good sleep in a row.
2/3/21 - Jiu-Jitsu Day 3
I wanted to go to the 0530 class but this morning was a mess. Cali had to leave for work super early and Arvid was on edge without any food or water since we had to make him fast before getting neutered. Poor pup.
Everything worked out though because I ended up going to the 1900 class and having a great time. There was a good group there and I learned some new techniques. Blue belt Mike absolutely destroyed me in my last round, but that’s okay. I need more of that.
My groin, hip, and glute felt amazing after getting dry needling done earlier in the day. It still feels good as I type this up the next morning. Onward and upward.
2/2/21 - Deadlifts and Swings
I’ve done a lot of snow shoveling yesterday and today so I wasn’t sure how this would feel. Turns out I was being a little baby because it felt great.
Deadlifts (no belt) - 235 x 5, 270 x 5, 310 x 5
One-Handed Swings - 4 rounds through using a 36, 40, 44, and 32 (EMOM). This was a fun way to do it.
3+3
7+7
5+5
Rest 3 minutes
Pretty good session despite my weak mental state. I hate feeling cooped up when the snow is really blowing.
1/31/21 - Bench and Rows
Short and sweet session today. I’m going to keep the lifting volume low until I feel like I’ve adapted to the extra work at BJJ.
Swiss Bench - 160 x 5, 180 x 5, 205 x 5, 160 x 3 x 8 superset with
Meadows Rows - 25-30 kg x 6 x 10-12
Done. Left bicep was killing me. It flared up during last week’s low-bar squats. Onward and upward.
1/30/21 - Jiu-Jitsu Day 2
This was a really fun class with about an hour of technique work and then some live rolling. The instructor and other class participants were very gracious in teaching me some new things, and I was really pumped that my wonky groin did not bother me in the least. Good times. Onward and upward.
1/29/21 - Squats
I really wasn’t sure how much I’d be able to do today because my groin has been bugging me after going to BJJ on Wednesday. I pushed on and the squats actually felt quite comfortable. Assistance work was skipped because I plan on going to BJJ tomorrow and I want my body to have time to adapt.
Squats - 200 x 5, 230 x 5, 260 x 5 - easy
Front Squats - 135 x 5, 160 x 5, 185 x 5, 205 x 5
Good morning session with Arvid keeping me company.
1/27/21 - Jiu-Jitsu Day 1
This morning I went to my first ever Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class at Precision Jiu-Jitsu Spring Mount. It had been on my agenda for awhile. I just needed to get my balls and make myself go do it, and, not surprisingly, I really enjoyed it. BJJ is a great workout that is markedly different than anything I’ve ever done before. I found that I really liked the pressure and struggle of it. In a way, it reminded me of a max effort lift, only in BJJ the struggle lasts for minutes rather than being over in, at most, a few seconds. I plan on going back Friday for more, so we’ll see where this goes.
1/26/21 - Press, Rows, Push-Ups and Tris
Quick little lunch session today. This was short and a good pump.
Press - 95 x 5, 105 x 5, 120 x 5, 95 x 3 x 5
Blast Strap Inverted Rows - BW x 4 x 8 superset with
Push-Ups - BW x 4 x 10
Triceps Pushdowns - Light band x 4 x 15
I need to get my press way up.
1/25/21 - Deadlifts, Good Mornings, and Sandbag Fun
Pretty good session today. This was my first time pulling a conventional deadlift from the floor in some time.
Deadlift - 255 x 3, 290 x 3, 325 x 5
SSB Good Mornings - 130 x 8, 140 x 8, 145 x 8
Sandbag Shoulders - 150 lbs - 5 min EMOM - 3, 3, 3, 4
Short and sweet session. Everything felt really solid.
1/24/21 - Steady State Air Bike
Did 15 miles on the Air Bike in 42:44 today. Cali, Arvid, and Bill were all in the basement distracting me so the time went by quickly. Felt good after this ride.
1/23/21 - Bench, Rows, Pulldowns, and Curls
Decent training session today.
Swiss Bench - 170 x 3, 195 x 3, 220 x 5, 170 x 3 x 5 - Top set was harder than expected.
Single-Arm KB Rows - 40 x 8, 32 x 5 x 10
Lat Pulldowns - 90 x 10, 115 x 3 x 10
KB Rope Curls - 20 x 3 x 10
We had planned on a long hike for today but it was cold and super windy so we decided to skip it.
1/21/21 - Squats, and Double KB Cleans
Really short and sweet session in the basement today.
Squats - 215 x 3, 245 x 3, 275 x 5, 215 x 3 x 5
Double KB Cleans - 36s x 5, 40s x 3 x 5
Squats felt really solid today. The bar position and setup were familiar, unlike when I did them on them 10 days ago. I definitely could have pushed the top set more but I’m going to stick to a max set of 5 reps for now, at least on squats and deadlifts.
1/20/21 - Press, Chins, and Dips
Some 5/3/1 sets today.
Press - 100 x 3, 115 x 3, 130 x 6, 100 x 3 x 5
Chins - BW x 4 x 5 superset with
Dips - BW x 4 x 5
Good little session. The chins and dips were a little harder than expected but I got the work in.
1/19/21 - Air Bike Sprints
I needed to get this out of my system today.
Five minute warm-up
Ten intervals of :13/:47 work/rest
Six minute cooldown
This was seven miles in just under 21 minutes total. Arvid kept me company and enjoyed the wind coming off the fan.
1/18/21 - ME Trap Bar, Front Squats, KB Cleans, and a Hike
Today was one of those days that didn’t go like I hoped.
Trap Bar (high handles) - 405 x 1 easy, 455 fail, dropped to 440 and felt a pop in my left side. I did something similar on my right side while squatting last winter. This will be a minor inconvenience but I’m not too worried.
Front Squats (no belt) - 225 x 3, 250 x 1, 225 x 3
One-Arm KB Cleans - 40 x 5/arm, 48 x 5/arm
The trap bar was disappointing but still not a terrible session. I’m grateful that I could do the rest without my side hurting at all. Arvid kept me company the whole time.
After some breakfast, Arvid and I went to Green Lane Park for a 2.5 mile hike on the Orange Trail. It was wet and sloppy but still fun to be outside.
1/16/21 - Green Lane Park Blue Trail Hiking
Cali, Arvid, and I hiked the length of the Green Lane Park Blue Trail down and back today. This was actually a workout that covered about nine miles total. There are lots of ups and downs and I was wrestling Arvid the whole way. The weather could not have been better.
1/15/21 - DE Box Squats, KB Swings, Partial Getups
DE Lower Body today.
Box Squats (16”) with average bands - 115 x 12 x 2 - EMOM
Two-Handed KB Swings - 48 x 20 x 5 - one set every :30
Getups to Kneeling Position - 32 x 4/side
This was a good session. I wasn’t in the mood to box squat today but they felt great once I got going. Arvid kept me company the whole time.
