LOL! Thank you!
As I mentioned, I’m not against adding some lower stress work on off days. But contrary to what some might think it is NOT active recovery.
Walking is active recovery. Yoga is active recovery. Anything more intense than that is physical activity which you need to recover from.
Any stimulus intense enough to cause an improvement in a physical capacity is NOT active recovery as it requires adaptations, which means that it increases the need for recovery.
No need for the thanks!
Recovery is as important as the time spent in the gym (maybe more?). Perfectly reasonable for you to remind us that the program is written the way it’s supposed to be performed, and you didn’t accidentally leave out 100 burpees on off days, haha. As I said before, it’s more of me breaking myself of the notion that something must be done every day. There are certainly plans that allow for that, but this isn’t the one.
Yesterday:
Week 3, Day 3, Pull
Farmer’s Walk
55# KB’s - 2 min
Complex A
Snatch Grip High Pull
190x5, 185x5 (both sets +5# from last time)
Dumbbell Shrug
55s 2x15
Farmer’s Walk
55s 1min
Complex B
Pendlay Row
205x5, 195x5 (second set +10# from last time)
Chest Supported Rear Delt Raise
20# db’s 2x15
Zercher Carry
60# sandbag 2x1min
Chin-Up Top Position Hold
5 sets to reach 2min, same as last time
Pull-Up Hang
3 sets to reach 2min, same as last time
On paper, there’s just a couple of sets where I lifted a few pounds more weight, but the writing tells very little of the story here. Everything felt strong, and I was just dialed in the whole time. The timing is perfect for the workouts to switch up a bit, as obviously some adaptation has occurred.
Also - snatch grip high pulls are a really deceptively difficult exercise. They don’t appear difficult at first glance, but for a quick movement there’s just so much going on. You can pile on weight and make the bar move, but when I really hit the movement right, almost immediately upon setting the bar down I feel all the muscles involved. I think I could have kept the weight right where it was from last session and possibly had even more of an effective workout.
Yesterday:
Week 3, Day 4: Physical Labor
Deadlift @ 275 x 3 reps
Single KB Biceps Walk @ 45 x 20 steps
DB Clean + Press @ 50#s x 5 reps
DB Suitcase Carry @ 50# 10 steps / arm
x 10 rounds, alarm went off during the second arm suitcase carry, I’m counting it.
Today is labor day, and there will be steak. Lots of steak.
What kind of steak?
I went with the intention of getting ribeyes but the ribeyes they had left were thin and not marbled - they had some grass fed NY strips with nice marbling that were 1.5-2 inches thick, and I got 3 of ‘em - about 4 lbs total. Then just some nice big asparagus to grill as well, and a bag of fingerling potatoes that I’ll just boil and toss with olive oil and some spices.
It’s just my wife and I and our two young kids this year so no need for hot dogs/burgers/etc or any of the unhealthy sides. Steak, something green, and something starchy, and I’m good.
That sounds awesome
Monday:
Week 4, Day One, Push (v2)
OH DB Carry
25s x 2 min, 2 sets
Complex A
Push Press
155 2x5
DB Lateral Raise Multi-ROM
15s 5 in top 1/3, 5 in top 2/3, 10 full ROM x2
OH DB Carry
15s 2x1min both in one set
Complex B
Weighted Dips
+45 x5, +35 x5
DB Bench Multi ROM
50s 5 in top 1/3, 5 in top 2/3, 8 full ROM x1, 45s 5/5/10 x1
Double Pump Strict Burpee
2x1min, made sure to sort of jump/explode out of the pushup into an ATG squat position. No idea about numbers, just got after it and kept form strict, with the pause at the top of the second pushup.
Dip ISO Hold
3 sets, as usual. Arms were more fried this time though - happy to have gotten 3 sets, wasn’t even close to 2 this time.
DB Bench Loaded Stretch
25s x2 min one hold in the top position.
Weighted dips rip my damn chest apart - I go well below parallel, I used to be terrified of doing that but to be honest, just like squats, when I was stopping at parallel I was having serious discomfort at the turnaround point and immediately after the set. Progressing to deep ROM’s has helped a bunch.
I’m sure I’ll find my way back to wanting to just lift as much weight as possible, but I do find myself discovering that the weight is as tough as you make it - it does not take that much weight to make a workout very difficult.
Today:
Week 4, Day 2: Legs (v2)
Prowler Push:
+4 plates x 2min.
Complex A
Lunge
115 2x5 each leg
Goblet Squat Multi-ROM (on squat wedge)
75 5 in top 1/3, 5 in top 2/3, 10 full ROM x2
Backwards sled drag
2x1min +4 plates
Complex B
DB RDLs
100s 2x5
Leg curl Multi-ROM
70 5 in top 1/3, 5 in top 2/3, 10 full ROM x1, 85 5/5/8
KB Swing
65# kb 2x1min
Zercher Squat 90-Degree Iso Hold
95# BB x 2min, 3 breaks
BSS Stretch - realized I missed this last time!
Right leg first (my weaker leg) - 3 breaks each.
Wild day at the gym, virtually no BB’s and no room for whatever reason, had to use DB’s for RDL’s to keep near the leg curl before it got taken by the mob of high school kids that seemed to be swarming the gym. Still, the DB’s let me get really deep and feel great on the back while stretching the crap out of the hamstrings, so it’s no problem, and a good time for periodization with the workouts switching up a bit.
Diet is going well.
Today featured 3 eggs, turkey bacon and cheese on keto toast:
For those wondering, keto toast slices are small and don’t taste like much, but I just like sandwiches and they are a great vessel for nut butters and other stuff.
Dinner was some turkey chili - ground Turkey,onions, red peppers, garlic, a fancy can of whole peeled tomatoes (if you’re getting canned tomatoes, whole peeled will be the best ones, just crush them yourself), a small can of tomato sauce, chili beans, white northern beans, black beans, corn, chili powder, salt, pepper, a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt (indistinguishable from sour cream when eating), a bit of shredded cheddar, and a squirt of old El Paso salsa verde sauce.
Ya, keto toast isnt great but sandwiches are phenomenal. They need to make a keto bagel.
Had one this morning! Walmart sells them, as does “Great Low Carb Bread Company”
What what WHAT!!! I need those in my life ASAP
You shouldn’t have shown me this.
It won’t be the 65cal bagel that does me in, it will be the 1/2cup cream cheese I slather on it.
Right, nothing beats a couple bagels covered in really good butter a bacon and and egg bagel sandwich
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Green-Mountain-Farms-Cream-Greek-Cheese-Greek-Yogurt-8-Oz/166237061
Greek yogurt cream cheese - bit less calories (less than reduced fat cream cheese), twice the protein, tastes just fine. I used to get it.
Week 4, Day 3: Pull
Farmers Carry
150# on trap bar - 2 min
Muscle Snatch from Hang
95# 2x5
Snatch-Grip Shrug Iso-Prefatigue
95# 20sec + 20 reps x2
Farmers Carry
70# 2x1min
Pendlay Row
205 x5, 195 x5
Chest Supported Rear Delt Raise MDS
15s 5 in top 1/3, 5 in top half, 10 full ROM x2
Zercher Carry
60# Sandbag 2x1min
Chin-Up Top Position Hold
6 sets to reach 2min, one more than last time
Pull-Up Hang
3 sets to reach 2min, same as last time
Traps were pretty fried. Pretty awesome pump in the gym mirror. Everything continues to go well. Have a good amount of yard work to do today and it’s mid-80s out so not terrible, will just stay hydrated.
Also, finally ran out of my other protein and had my first metabolic drive shake ever today - clearly high quality stuff, reminds me of ON whey. Happy to see only 110 calories in it, with 88 of them coming from protein - only 22 extra calories in there. Added a banana and some PB fit to it along with ice and water - the classic. Cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot momentarily, just a bit of olive oil and salt and pepper on it, no need for any juice or anything really, and then filling a big aluminum tray with broccoli, zucchini squash, and red/orange peppers and will roast that at 400 for a little while once the chicken is almost done, then crank it up to 500 and pop the chicken in to crisp up the outside.
