Rebirth of the Juggernaut: Brute Force and Ignorance (Part 1)

I hope they didn’t force the lineman to participate. That would just be cruel.

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DEEP WATER DAY 3

AM WORKOUT

Axle push press 151lbs
10x10

Axle curl 66lbs superset w/ DB lateral raises (non-stop circuit)
10/10x25lbs
10/10x20lbs
10/10x15lbs
2x10

Notes: 4 mins rest between sets on the push presses, then had to make up time on the curls and raises. Still a good training effect. I’m wasting too much energy controlling the eccentic on the push presses, and that’s really only something I can get away with since the weight is light. Have to train away from that. My triceps were absolutely fried at the end, which shows me where my weaknesses are. Controlling the eccentric played in that too. I’m still awful/inconsitent with push presses, because I’d get to like rep 8 on one of the later sets and knock out a rep that flew from chest to lockout with no press in between, whereas earlier reps would be grinders. My hope is that putting me under fatigue will force me to find technique.

Did have to rack the axle and take a breather to finish out some of the later sets, but to a significant degree. Biggest issue was maintaining rack position for so long.

Still owe the ab work for today; plan to knock that out soon.

Woke up at 195.2. Been putting away food like it’s my job.

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His human :slight_smile:
A strong one though.

@mortdk I’m nothing special. It’s the big thing I try to emphasize when people try to put me up on a pedestal. I’ve got bad genetics, am terribly nonathletic, and got a bunch of dumb injuries to overcome. Anyone can do what I do: they just have to try.


DEEP WATER WORKOUT 4 (END OF TRAINING WEEK 1)

PM WORKOUT

Axle bench press 226
2x10
1x11

Axle close grip bench 186
2x10
1x17

Swiss bar incline bench 175
3x10

Dips
1x21
1x15
1x18

Push ups
1x21
1x20
1x21

3 rounds of 1 minute plank/20 sit ups (no rest)

Notes: Figuring out the weights here. Bench is just about dialed in right, close grip is too light, incline might be slightly too heavy. Went max reps on final set to make the most of each set up.

Used my Ironmind bench for the first time to actually bench, and used it for the close grip as well. Allowed me to have a separate station set up for incline, to keep rest times lower between workouts. The Ironmind bench lives up to the rest of the company: no frills, little padding solid as a rock. Felt stable to drive off of, but a little lower than I’m used to. Also, incline is awful, swiss bar is awful and, for some reason, when you combine them it feels great. Much better on my shoulders.

I need to focus on output next training session. This was more of a feeler.

No weigh in this morning.

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Not going to argue with you man.
Just want to say I think you’re special and on top of that you’re strong, kind and wise.
I love coming by and see what stupid weight or workout you just did.
I understand you come from a shitty place and have done some shitty things in your life, and somehow you pulled yourself out of it, that is really something, that is not easy. So you have my full respect here Pwn.
In my line of duty I see all sorts of youngsters messing their life up. I try to put the bad guys in jail. However my main job is to help those poor youngsters back on their feet and back into the real life. Trying to prevent them from starting the bad life in the first place.

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It sounds like you’re doing some good man. I’ve definitely had an easy existence in that regard. No real crappy place to come from, and no real bad things in my life. Yeah, I’ve had some injuries, but that’s my own doing. Been great having you follow along through the way.

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AM WORKOUT

DEEP WATER WORKOUT 5 (WEEK 2, WORKOUT 1)

Texas deadlift bar touch and go deadlifts 345
10x10

Buffalo bar squat 230 superset w/walking lunges
3x10/10

Notes: Set the timer to 3:35 between sets of deads to ensure that, by the time set up was done, I was still under 4 minutes of rest. This was just about the right weight, maybe just slightly under what was needed, but sets 8-10 definitely sucked. Decided to stick with buffalo bar squats rather than SSB before the former tend to beat my legs up while the latter hammers my upper back, and I wanna keep my legs conditioned for the 10x10 squats next week. Still owe the ab work. I wanna document that I AM doing it, just usually not within the workout due to time constraints. I tend to find a time later in the day to get it knocked out.

Woke up at 195.0. Going a different angle with cheat meals and focusing on larger portions rather than carbing up. Did 3 entrée at Panda Express, double teriyaki chicken and Beijing beef, with steamed veggies instead of rice. Been liberally applying PB2 powder in protein shakes and mixed with cottage cheese as well as a source of supplemental protein. Really trying to embrace the nutrition side of the program.

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PM WORKOUT

Prowler w/90lbs loaded

2x50’ low handle/50’ high handle (no rest)

Backwards drag to the end of the block, high handle forward push back

Notes: Road just wasn’t playing nice on the low handle pushes, and I wanted something to really dig in deep on, so went with my “drag it all the way down, push it all the way back” approach. Set the goal of no stopping on the backwards drag, and then pushed it halfway back before taking a quick breather on the way back to the house. First snow of the year today, so I’ll see what I come up with for the future.

No weigh in this morning.

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AM WORKOUT

DEEP WATER WORKOUT 6 (WEEK 2, WORKOUT 2)

Chins (various grips)
1x21
1x12
1x10
1x11

BB rows 218
4x10

Clean pulls 218
3x10

Reverse hyper 340
3x10

Notes: Set the timer to 3:20 between sets. For the chins, did the first set traditional pull up (overhand grip), then NG, then chin, then NG again. Wanted to get in some variety. Didn’t realize how much the deads hammered my back until I went for the rows. Took around set 3 before I finally got in a good way with them. Clean pulls took a while to re-remember as well, but once I did I felt better about them. I’m getting better at this approach, but it’s still a little different for me.

Woke up at 195.8.

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Played some flag football with some co-workers tonight and met my goal of finishing with as many ACLs as I started with. I also ran a pass for about 20 yards, which surprised everyone, including me. Played primarily on O-line and got in as many peoples ways as I could.

It was nice to do something athletic. I still have difficulty finding the line on semi-contact sports.

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I call that wining at my age

This sums up my basketball experience pretty well. It’s definitely a non-contact sport, but there’s a bit more physicality than one would expect in terms of post defense, screens, etc. As a football player growing up, that’s fine with me, but I still don’t know where the line between good tough defense and being a jerk is. Usually air on the side of caution since I don’t really have a stake in those games, but it definitely limits the effectiveness of being a decent athlete with very little specific skill.

I reffed a couple games for a over 40 mens rec basketball league this past summer, you would think they were being scouted by the NBA. Plus they were all vicious, elbows and tackles everywhere. Cant tell you how many times I heard how good they would have been in college or they could have played pro if they didnt get hurt. stereotypes are real.

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Haha yeah, I’ve been matched up with a handful of shall we say, over-eager players. With the football and some fighting sports background, I always think to myself “you sure you want to go down this road”? But, as a reasonable adult with no time for legitimate quarrels over pickup basketball, it usually never makes it beyond the thought stage.

More surprisingly, my roommate gets the most flack and instigation against him. He’s a brick house of a man, and a talented wrestler. Appearances alone would warrant not wanting to start a fight with him, especially when one is a soft-ish basketball man. Strange group of folks they can be.

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That is another thing, a majority them were very confrontational for no reason. Like they all had to prove themselves/make sure they were the alpha males. One guy tried to start with me in the parking lot cause he didnt like how i reffed(granted I was not good at all, but I tried to be fair despite the aggressive style of the game).

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@simo74 I at least joked with one of the guys that, since my ACL is now technically a repurposed part of my hamstring, if I blow it out, I can claim it’s a hamstring injury rather than an ACL, haha.

@mr.v3lv3t It’s definitely a fine line between being aggressive vs being a jerk, and I’m like you: I default to being cautious, which greatly limits effectiveness. People see me and get excited at the prospect of me playing football, but I point out that, if you limit contact, it’s far more an athletic game than a physical one, and I draw the short straw there, haha.

@theonecamko It’s amazing how many adults never really grow out of being children. And these people tend to be so miserable in their day to day lives, yet, when given the opportunity to have levity, they pick misery again.

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DEEP WATER WORKOUT 7 (WEEK 2, WORKOUT 3)

AM WORKOUT

Axle strict press 136
10x10

superset w/

Band pull aparts
10x10

Axle curls 73lbs
5x10

superset in a circuit (no rest) w/

DB lateral raises
10x30lbs
10x25
10x20

Notes: This day went much better than I anticipated. Only really struggled on the last 2 sets, with a need to rack and take a few breaths on rep 8 of the final set before knocking out the rest. Brought back in the pull aparts because I think I can manage the volume on them in this program without issue, and they tend to make my shoulders feel better between sets of pressing. Set the alarm for 3:45 between sets to keep it at sub 4 minutes by the time I was set up to press. With short time after that, hammered out the curls and raises as fast as I could.

Woke up at 197.8. Weight gain continues pretty easily. No huge dietary changes.

EDIT: Skipped the abs yesterday so made up for it today by doing a 2 min plank and 20 push ups for 3 rounds unbroken. That extra minute gets intense.

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You’re around the weight I was at when I stopped gaining weight (I was 195 and chubby). If I may ask, what are your macros / what basic foods do you generally eat? Once I get to the store, I’m planning on buying ground beef and making Stan Efferding’s “monster mash” (just ground beef, rice, lettuce, tomatoes mixed together in large quantities). If I can eat a whole lot of that for lunch, I may get back to 185.

I’ve honestly only ever counted calories/macros once in my life, and that was in 2004 at the start of my training log (was originally on Xanga, now blogger). I have no idea what my calories are.

I shared a basic diet with @Yogi1 a few weeks back. Check here

Rebirth of the Juggernaut: Brute Force and Ignorance (Part 1) - #2471 by T3hPwnisher

Right now, I’m really diving into Jon Andersen’s Deep Water program along with the nutrition, so I’ve cut carbs as much as I can. I still consume them pre/post training, but otherwise it’s meat and veggies. I’ve eliminated the greek yogurt with protein powder meal and replaced it with beef ribs to get more protein and fats with less carbs, and my evening snack is now cottage cheese mixed with PB2. I’ve also upped my portion sizes of meat that I eat.

Staple foods are ground beef, pot roast, ribs, steak, eggs, sometimes ham, and breakfast meats, with a few oddball meat options. I rarely eat chicken, and pretty much never eat fish. I just don’t like preparing it. If someone else makes it for me, I eat it.

For veggies, I’m on a big kale and canned diced sun dried tomato kick right now. They’re just super convenient and mix well with everything. Otherwise, I like broccoli and cauliflower. I’m also including a half an avocado each day, but that’s technically a fruit. Now that I think of it, same with the tomatoes.

I honestly don’t imagine my approach is particularly effective for weight gain, because carbs are far easier to eat to get in calories, but it makes me feel better when I eat low carb, and I rather eat fatty meats with no carbs than lean meats with carbs.

Hope that helps.

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Fat also helps the digestive system. Smart move. Unfortunately, I have a bad digestive reaction to eggs, and dairy’s been off the table for me for as long as I can remember (as I found out both of these the hard way). I eat kale/broccoli/green beans in large quantities as well, because it’s what’s there. However, I’ve been feeling like shit for the last week, so eating is more of a challenge than usual. Ground beef and sausage is not out of the question, I’ll buy in bulk and get some cheap. Thanks.