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Always Be Smashing

03/23 06:00

Trifecta +
45min treadmill run/walk 3.2m

03/23 21:00

GSQT 2x5 48
Cossack shoulder dislocates 2x8
KB snatch 24x4 36
KB press 3x2 36
Grip circuit x3

Advantage of a home gym: you can train after pizza and beer.

Disadvantage of a home gym: you have no excuse not to train after pizza and beer.

Generally run down today - GTG work was tough. Have to see how I feel tomorrow, might need a day off.

Have been spending so much time with the 36 lately, I feel like it deserves a name. I'm thinking "the mongoose"; not as big as a bulldog, but still pretty bad a$$.

Pushups: 8x13
Box pistols: 8x5
Pullups: 8x4
EOD stretching sequence x1
RAGS: 37
 
Feeling generally under-recovered the last few days. Some combination of the bad DL session on Saturday, and the increase in GTG density. Tight hamstrings, grumbles from the lower back, sore lats and quads. Took Tuesday off, and will need to dial things back a little for a few days.

03/24 06:00

Trifecta +
45min treadmill run/walk 3.1m

Pushups 6x13
Box pistols 6x5
Pullups 6x4
RAGS 37
 
03/26 06:00

Trifecta +
45min treadmill run/walk 3.1m

03/26 16:45

GSQT 2x5 48
Cossack shoulder dislocates 2x8
DL 1x5 385#
KB press 4x2 36
Grip circuit x3

Much better DL practice than last time. Set up with focus/ intent before each rep, rather than trying to knock out a fast set of 5. Could also have simply been that I had more leg drive in the tank thanks to reduced GTG volume. Will keep volume down until lats aid quit being sore, I figure.

Pushups 3x13
Box pistols 3x5
Pullups 3x4
RAGS 38
 
03/27 13:00

Trifecta +
45min treadmill run/walk 3.1m

15 miles this week - most I've done since before Thanksgiving, I think. Goal for next week is to extend at least one run to 1 hour.

No GTG work today, still feeling sore in the lats.

EOD stretching sequence x1
- I stretched the last 2 days too, just forgot to log it
RAGS 38
 
03/28 11:00

GSQT 2x5 48
Cossack shoulder dislocates 2x8
KB snatch 12x4, 4x3 40
KB press 5x2 36
Grip circuit x3

Was in the mood to experiment a little, since it's been a while since I snatched the 40. Felt good, but definitely started losing power in the later sets on the 4th rep, so dropped to 3 - seems like that's the right spot for now. Snatches took a lot of energy out of the shoulders, felt it in the press afterwards.

Most encouraging thing today was that grip was not a factor in the snatches - hands were handling the load just fine, had grip to spare. Maybe the grip work is accomplishing something. Hopefully I'll get a chance to take it for a spin on the obstacle course in August.

Pushups 5x13
Box pistols 5x5
Pullups 5x4
EOD stretching sequence x1
RAGS 39
 
03/29 11:00

Trifecta +
59min outdoor run 4.9m
- Ave HR 139, max 149

Still too fast... despite repeating to myself "deadlift tomorrow, go slow" over and over. Big energy crash in the afternoon, plus felt like I just couldn't get enough to eat.

Pushups 4x13
Box pistols 4x5
Pullups 4x4
EOD stretching sequence x1
RAGS 39
 
Still too fast... despite repeating to myself "deadlift tomorrow, go slow" over and over.
It’s almost worse when you have the self-awareness that you ignore rather than just being oblivious. But sometimes you have to go with the “too fast” and figure it out from there. As much as I like a good program there is no substitute for feel. Good luck with the dl’s!
 
It’s almost worse when you have the self-awareness that you ignore rather than just being oblivious. But sometimes you have to go with the “too fast” and figure it out from there. As much as I like a good program there is no substitute for feel. Good luck with the dl’s!

The "feel" part is exactly what I'm really having trouble with. When I run at 5 MPH (about the pace I did Sunday) on my treadmill, I know I'm going too fast - I can tell that I'm pushing. Outside, the RPE just seems way lower for some reason. I honestly thought I was plodding along slower. The HR says otherwise, obviously - I try to keep it at 130 or below when running on the treadmill.

I recall reading somewhere that when running on a treadmill you get some pocket of hot air form around you... I could believe that the more natural cooling mechanisms outdoors could have some effect on RPE...

Anyways, I am going to continue to claim to be oblivious. ? It wasn't my pride making me go too fast... if 5 MPH is where my pride tops out, then I'm in real trouble.
 
The "feel" part is exactly what I'm really having trouble with.
Ah. I see and I can understand why this is more of a problem on treadmills. Running on them is in that uncanny valley of seeming a lot like running, but being just enough to be weird. Honestly just deciding to use a treadmill takes a couple of points of RPE for me ;-)

Two things that have helped me are to put the grade at 1% when running. This makes it feel a bit more like actual running, but won't help with heating up. Or most of the time, I just put in a steep grade and walk fast. This is HR training for me too and my heart really doesn't care what my gait is as long as I keep in Z1 and 2. For whatever reason, going 3.8mph up a 7% grade is a lot more fun than running slow on a treadmill.
 
Ah. I see and I can understand why this is more of a problem on treadmills. Running on them is in that uncanny valley of seeming a lot like running, but being just enough to be weird. Honestly just deciding to use a treadmill takes a couple of points of RPE for me ;-)

Two things that have helped me are to put the grade at 1% when running. This makes it feel a bit more like actual running, but won't help with heating up. Or most of the time, I just put in a steep grade and walk fast. This is HR training for me too and my heart really doesn't care what my gait is as long as I keep in Z1 and 2. For whatever reason, going 3.8mph up a 7% grade is a lot more fun than running slow on a treadmill.

Yeah, I'm always at 1% on the treadmill - I've read that from multiple sources.

I believe I'd better off in the end spending more time on the actual road, my problems are always:
  • The best times for me to run on the weekdays are early morning or late evening
  • I'm not hard core enough to run outside at those times when it's really cold
  • Once it gets warm enough to be outside at those times, usually my allergies fire up, and running becomes miserable if I have an attack - makes me gun-shy about running outside
The one good thing about the treadmill is that I never have any excuse not to just get down there and do it, rain or shine. That said, it is on my goal list right now to try to get outside more - but gotta figure out this tempo control stuff first, I think.

On walking - I have read quite a bit saying that a good walk is every bit as good for cardio work as running. In my case, I'm actually trying to develop the skill of running, so it seems more valuable to me to keep plodding along. I believe one of Al Ciampa's writings talks about how developing walking strength doesn't necessarily translate into running strength, but I may be remembering wrong.
 
I'm actually trying to develop the skill of running
Uphill walking on a treadmill won’t do that for you. Running develops a bounce in your legs that nothing else can do for you, but you don’t need a ton of volume for this. I actually learned the uphill treadmill trick from a book on running. It’s a great way to get the volume your aerobic system needs while sparing your joints some miles. Or in my case I just like it more when on a treadmill.
 
Everyone knows my thoughts on treadmills and other like contraptions ... but... Joan Samuelson did train for (and win) the inaugural Olympic women's marathon (L.A.) by apparently doing the bulk of her training on one...
 
03/30 06:00

Trifecta +
45min treadmill run/walk 3.1m

03/30 17:30

GSQT 2x5 48
Cossack shoulder dislocated 2x8
DL 1x5 400#
KB press 6x2 36
Grip circuit x3

Skipped squats and pullups today to leave room for DL, and it paid off - solid DL practice. First time I can recall really feeling my lats during the pulls. Maybe a little technique improvement, but more likely just lat soreness from pullups.

Have lately been reading about the army combat fitness test (Army Combat Fitness Test). I've got no military experience, but thinking after the TSC I might tailor my training towards that for a few months - seems like it's in line with my philosophy of training to be "useful", and probably reasonable for OCR training (with addition of a lot of LED and continued grip work). For fun today, I tried a few hanging leg tucks. Able to do a couple pretty easily. That's something I don't think college-age me could have done at all, feeling proud of that.

Pushups 5x13
EOD stretching sequence x1
RAGS 40
 
03/31 17:30

Trifecta +
FSPM
Foam rolling

Little bit of a rough day - tried a few GTG sets, but still feeling a lot of soreness in the lats, to the point where even 1 pullup didn't feel right. Feels like the big muscles aren't working right, and they're leaning on the little muscles like the elbows - which feels like the road to getting hurt. Even pushups feel a little wrong. Not sure what's going on, but seems like I might need to hit reset on GTG work, and build it up again. Or maybe switch to something else for a while.

Pushups 3x13
Box pistols 3x5
Pullups 2x4
EOD stretching sequence x1
RAGS 40
 
04/03 06:00

Trifecta +
30min spin bike

Treadmill electrical issue today. Hopefully temporary.

Pushups not bothered by sore lats today, at last. Will try picking pullups back up soon.

Pushups 5x13
Box pistols 5x5

04/04 12:00

GSQT 2x5 48
Cossack shoulder dislocates 2x8
DL 2x3 415#
KB press 8x2 36
Grip circuit x3

Solid DL, but I'm wrestling with my mindset a bit as things get heavy. I find myself thinking "don't get hurt", which is exactly the mindset I tell the kids I coach to avoid - don't focus on avoiding negatives, focus on the positive you want to achieve. Need to get into mindset of "pick this #$%& up".

Also need to start getting a little high-intensity work rotated in. Sprinting, burpees, something... feeling a little slow.

EOD stretching sequence x1
RAGS 42
 
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