Late Post - Bench Press & FYF

Late post, just the facts.  Promise I'll be better with pics and video so spice things up.

Thursday

5/3/1 bench press
heavy single at 300lbs

5 x 15 dumbell bench press
5 x 15 dumbell rows

then...

185lb bench press x 10
75lb behind the neck strict press x 10
rest 90 seconds
x 7

Friday

Barbell complex
4 x snatch grip deadlift
4 x bent over row
4 x high pulls
4 x power snatch
4 x overhead squats
4 x back squats
x 4

then...

10 burpees
200m ski erg
every 2 minutes
x 5

then...

10 kettlebell swings
250m row
every 2 minutes
x 5

Still going strong on the diet.  Macros have been in check, always coming in a little light on the carbs, which I don't mind.  I kept this week 1,800-2,000 calories this week, so I will try for 1,600-1,800 just to see how it feels.  If I feel like death, I'll just stop.

Had a few cloudy brain type moments later in the week, some lingering work out fatigue, but to be expected as this low carb intake combined with a somewhat limited calorie restriction.

A few supplements I added this week:

- Natural Calm.  Basically just a magnesium supplement.  I don't know if this has been the main factor, but my sleep has been great since I started using it.

- BCAA's.  Just to prevent any muscle catabolism.  Using it after particularly intense training sessions with creatine and protein powder.

Pause Squats & Rowing Intervals

Late post, just the facts. 

Pause squats up to 240lbs

3 x 250m row (under 1:40/500m pace)

Rest 90 seconds

5 x 150m row (under 1:30/500m pace)

Rest 90 sec

5 x 100m row (under 1:25/500m pace)

Rest 90 sec

Carbs - 53g

Fat - 122g

Protein - 162

Calories - 1,902

Strict Press PR & Rowing Sprints

A pretty fun day in the gym.  This was my week of heavy singles with 5/3/1, so on my "joker" set, I decided to go for 160lbs.  It came up so fast, I threw a belt on and added another 15lbs for a very clean PR match (though I think the last time I maxed press was in September and I tried 80kg several times and never came close).

Pictured here was maybe my only sticking point and the most I leaned back in the lift.  I was so aggressive in my set-up that I didn't realize my hands were a little uneven.

I finished out my accessory work (dips and pull-ups) while I waited for Adam to roll in.

Finally getting the hang of the strict, dead hang, chest-to-bar chin up.  I have yet to master this overhanded grip.  But I'm working on it.

By the time Adam got there and warmed up, we didn't have a lot of time, so whereas I wanted to do 10 x 100m rowing sprints, we could only fit in 7, which was plenty.

I had Adam video one of my 15.9 sprints just because I thought it would be a cool thing to post and it ended up exposing some bent arms, a compromised extension on the finish of my pull and some rounding at the catch.  Add it to the list of more stuff to work on.

Another good day of tracking my macros and calories.  Ball parked my dinner, but think it's mostly right, a little over if anything.

Just under 1,800 calories for the day and feel sated and good.  I'm really hoping this will positively affect cutting my weight down or else it will be just another annoying thing I've added to my routine and I will still be chubby.  

Sled Pulls & Push-Ups

Mondays are hard.  Pull-ups are the cure. 

I wanted this workout to be more structural than power/endurance, so our sled was heavy and long--the length of our parking lot, maybe 100m and the sled weight was over 200lbs.  Tough.  Just tough.  If you stop because your legs were burning, your lungs caught up to you. 

I ended up with 204 push ups and Adam lost count but was around there as well.  We had some other stuff planned, but we were both pretty zapped, so we did some static holds, rolled out and called it a day. 

Macros tracked for today.  

A little under my calories (shooting for 1,800-2,000), but I'm not starving, but everything else looks pretty good.  Got a big day planned for tomorrow. 

Recovery & One Week Dieting

Just finishing a Sunday having taken it very easy.  Part of this was by necessity because I am pretty sunburnt, but also because I anticipate a pretty full and vigorous week of training. 

I plan on making a couple PR attempts and I think this is the week for my sub 7 minute 2k row. 

Feeling good with macro tracking today.  Didn't quite get the protein in, but I didn't train today, so I'm not worried. 

Another note on the Whole30--I feel amazing.  I don't feel sluggish or foggy, my joints feel really good and I can tell I've lost some weight.  I'll step on the scale tomorrow and see how much.  More importantly, my face has cleared up, my skin rash is nearly non existent and I'm sleeping so much better. 

And I'm not starving.  

Breakfast

4 eggs

3 pieces of bacon

Lunch

Tuna

Avocado

Dinner

2 beef patties

2 pieces of bacon

1 cup of spinach

And I had a protein shake while watching Game of Thrones to fill up my macros.  Can't wait to see what happens in the gym and in the mirror these next few weeks!

Deadlifts & Thoughts on Tracking Macros

Pretty good day in the gym, finally.  Actually, most of the lifts I have been doing (press, bench, deadlift, squat) have all felt pretty good this week.

My 5/3/1 program had me deadlifting 390lbs for a triple today, so since I was at Pinnacle, I decided to go for a PR triple of 180kilos.  I usually use straps, but didn't today, so this was just a PR all around.  My butt shoots up a little on my second rep, but I'm able nail the last rep, so I'm calling it a clean PR.

My assistance work was good mornings and hanging leg raises, but I swapped them for RDLs, 5 x 12 at 70kg.  My hamstrings are pretty flexible and I can go pretty low with my RDLs, so I stood on a plate for my last set.  You can hear Hali make fun of me for having her film this light set.

So I tried tracking my macronutrients today.  Not necessarily a tenant of the Whole30 principles (which more or less dictate listening to your body and not worrying about portion size), but I thought I would track macros today and see how it went and if it was easy enough, to try it for the week.

I wanted my breakdown to look like this:

~ 2000 calories

- 50g carbs

- 130g fat

- 150g protein

This is what it I tracked using the My Fitness App.

Pretty damn close.  And it actually wasn't that difficult.  I'll go ahead and give it a try this week.  I think it'll be easy enough.

FYF - Tabata KB Swings & Rowing for Calories

600 calories is just hard.  It just is. 

Well, Adam and I didn't get in under 20:00, but not for lack of effort.  We finished in 32:55, but we were doing some serious breathing.  

The Tabata KB was a good way to pre-fatigue the legs and prime the lungs, but nothing really prepares you for staring down 600 calories on the C2. We started out rowing 20 each, then down to 15 and as Adam started to blow up a little, I began doing 25-30 calories to give him extra time to recover. 

It was exactly what I wanted today.  Some hard work for the engine.  Grip smoked, hamstrings smoked, quads smoked.  Good Friday workout. 

My snacks for the day: