Hey Furo,
All good here. I am currently taking a break from training to recover from a strained/over-used big toe. Going to Melbourne for Easter, and will hopefully be ready by then to get back into training. Will start up a new training log when I get back. Its been too long!
“Meat eater” sounds interesting… I will have a read on it today.
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T-Ransformation: Week 13
Bodyweight
Pistol Squats
BW: 10x1
One Arm Push-Ups
BW: 10x1
I felt like doing an additional bodyweight session today. My right knee felt horrible, like the whole joint needed to crack but wouldn’t. Very annoying.
T-Ransformation: Week 13
Tactical Barbell: Fighter Template
Deadlifts
160kg: 3x5
200kg: 1
Mixed Grip, Belted
Bench Press
90kg: 4x5
Heavy Bag Resets/Pull-Ups
5x 1min heavy bag/5 pull-ups
For efficiency I did the deadlifts and bench press as a superset and I did the pull-ups during the 1min “rest” periods on the heavy bag. I loathe 5-rep deadlifts so went for a heavy single on the final set and it felt good - fast and ugly. My right knee seems to be back to baseline, I’m not sure what that was about.
T-Ransformation: Week 13 - Summary
Bodyweight: 96.9kg
Training: Very good
Nutrition: Started good…
This has been a very good week. I slipped up nutrition-wise towards the end of the week, but overall quantities have been sensible. I did all prescribed sessions as well as an extra bodyweight session yesterday.
T-Ransformation: Week 14
Tactical Barbell: Fighter Template
Deadlifts
180kg: 3x3
Mixed Grip, Belted
Bench Press
105kg: 3x3
Pull-Ups
+20kg: 3x3
Bodyweight: 97.5kg
I did this as a giant set, which sucked. Deadlifts and bench felt powerful, in contrast to the pull-ups. Bodyweight is up a little as I suspected. Good session.
T-Ransformation: Week 14
Tactical Barbell: High Intensity Conditioning
Meat-Eater II
Kettlebell Swings/Burpees
40kg/BW: 10x 10/10 (1min rest)
This was tough. I had a huge lower back pump, presumably due to the recent deadlifts.
T-Ransformation: Week 14
Tactical Barbell: Endurance
Stationary Bike
60min: 17.2km (level 3)
Bodyweight: 99.3kg
Ugh that bodyweight was a nasty surprise, I can’t afford to slip up on nutrition at all. The cycle felt ok - my hips and quads got weirdly tight so I stretched and took an ice bath after.
T-Ransformation: Week 14
Tactical Barbell: High Intensity Conditioning
Meat-Eater II
Kettlebell Swings/Burpees
40kg/BW: 10x 10/10 (1min rest)
Bodyweight: 98.9kg
Another tough session, and another disappointing bodyweight. Something clicked with the swing technique and I did a much better job of relaxing my arms, which seemed to take the strain off my neck and instead activate my lats. So that’s a promising development.
T-Ransformation: Week 14
Tactical Barbell: High Intensity Conditioning
Stationary Bike/Kettlebell Swings
12x 2min cycle/10 swings (40kg)
Pistol Squats/One Arm Push-Ups
BW: 5x1/1
Bodyweight: 97.3kg
I was meant to do another strength session today but I’m coming down with something, so did a home workout instead.
T-Ransformation: Week 14 - Summary
Bodyweight: 98.3kg
Training: Good, missed one strength session
Nutrition: Mediocre
This has been a pretty good week. I’m not sure why my bodyweight jumped up midweek, but it seems to have normalised.
Next 3 Weeks
I’m going to be very busy over the next week, which coincides with a lighter week of training. I likely won’t train again until Wednesday, when I’ll hit a relatively light strength workout. For the two weeks after that I’m going to hit things hard and tighten my diet right up to finish the T-Ransformation challenge.
T-Ransformation: Week 15
Tactical Barbell: Fighter Template
Deadlifts/Bench Press - Superset
150kg/85kg: 4x5
Mixed Grip, No Belt
Back Extension/Pull-Up - Superset
BW: 4x20/5
Heavy Bag Resets
5x 1min on/1min off
Stationary Bike
45min: 13.4km (level 3)
Bodyweight: 97.8kg
Benching felt very easy today, but the deadlifts were an effort. Deadlifts are always an effort. Since starting the Tactical Barbell routine I have really neglected running - not through a fault of the programme, but because it’s been easy to ignore it and do kettlebell conditioning work instead. I’m going to make a conscious effort to start running frequently again.
T-Ransformation: Week 15
Tactical Barbell: High Intensity Conditioning
Run
3km in 19min 36sec
Stationary Bike
30min: 8.1km (level 3)
Bodyweight: 97.2kg
Tactical Barbell gives the option of a 3 mile run as a high intensity conditioning session, but I did 3km instead - primarily because I wouldn’t be able to maintain a good pace for 3 miles and also because I haven’t run in almost 2 months and I don’t want to ruin my calves. It went much better than I expected - nothing comes close to running for conditioning in my opinion. I plan to run frequently over the next 2 weeks, because I’d like to be able run while on holiday. I finished with a 30min cycle to get some extra work in.
T-Ransformation: Week 15
Tactical Barbell: High Intensity Conditioning
Stationary Bike
30min: 8.4km (level 3)
Tabata: 4min (level 3)
Bodyweight: 98.0kg
My calves are feeling a little beat up from yesterday’s run - not horribly, but enough to make running again today a bad idea. Instead I stuck with the stationary bike and did 30min of steady state followed by 4min of Tabata protocol. This isn’t listed as a conditioning session in the Tactical Barbell book but I thought it would do the job.
T-Ransformation: Week 15 - Summary
Bodyweight: 97.7kg
Training: Good since Wednesday
Nutrition: Good since Wednesday
I have two weeks left until my holiday and a lot of work to do. I’m going to clean my diet right up and do some form of conditioning every day. I would like to hit 96.0kg, and feel that is a realistic target. More important than dropping the next couple of kilos will be maintaining the weight loss over the holiday.
T-Ransformation: Week 16
Tactical Barbell: Fighter Template
Deadlifts/Bench Press/Pull-ups - Giant Set
170kg: 4x3
100kg: 4x3
+12kg: 4x3
DL - Mixed Grip, Belted
Dips/DB Curls - Superset
BW: 3x10
20kg: 3x10
Stationary Bike
45min: 11.9km (level 3)
Bodyweight: 97.7kg
I felt pretty weak walking into the gym today, but everything moved really well. The dips and heavy curls gave me a cracking arm pump. I finished up with a short run around the block to get some blood into my calves. Great session.
EDIT: I did the stationary bike stuff later in the day, just because I was bored.
T-Ransformation: Week 16
Tactical Barbell: High Intensity Conditioning
Run
3km in 18min 31sec
Stationary Bike
30min: 8.3km (level 3)
Bodyweight: 98.1kg
Good session, bodyweight a little high.
T-Ransformation: Week 16
Tactical Barbell: High Intensity Conditioning
Run
5km in 33min 53sec
Pistol Squats
BW: 2x5
Bodyweight: 97.6kg
I pushed the run a bit further today and my calves seemed to hold up well, but I’ll see what they are like tomorrow. I finished up with some pistol squats which felt very solid. Good day.
How’s the leg handling the running?
T-Ransformation: Week 16
Tactical Barbell: Endurance
Stationary Bike
90min: 22.9km (level 3)
Bodyweight: 97.1kg
@MaazerSmiit - it’s holding up great, thanks! Honestly, I can’t say the break/surgery has had any long term effects apart from some occasional mild discomfort in my right knee. Running was definitely the last exercise to return to baseline, but it has been over a year since I had any bother with it. My main issue with running pre-dates the injury - I run with a “bare foot” style and it tends to jack up my calves if they aren’t conditioned to it.
T-Ransformation: Week 16
Tactical Barbell: Fighter Template
Deadlifts
200kg: 3x1
Mixed Grip, Belted
Bench Press/Pull-Ups - Superset
100kg: 4x5
+12kg: 4x3
Pistol Squats/One Arm Push-Ups - Superset
BW: 5x1/1
Heavy Bag Resets
5x 1min on, 1min off
Bodyweight: 97.4kg
I decided to go for some heavy deadlift singles instead of the programmed 170kg triples, and it was a mistake. All three were particularly ugly, and I hurt my back on the last one. To compensate I did more than the programmed volume on the bench press.
I have come to the realisation that I share @T3hPwnisher’s feelings about training, although it has taken a long time to admit it. There is absolutely nothing about the act of lifting weights that I enjoy - I am purely doing this out of habit and a morbid fear of weediness. The bodyweight stuff feels a bit different - probably because it is so sub-maximal and I feel no pressure to push things harder. Deadlifting 170kg when you’ve deadlifted 220kg previously feels weak, but a pistol squat is just a pistol squat, and I do get some satisfaction from executing a well controlled bodyweight movement. Lifting heavy iron just straight up sucks lol.