The Battle Chef's Log

[The Battle Chef]

Edited 19/09/03

 

I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes a little over a year ago.  I'm managing it through medication and lifestyle changes under the supervision of my doctor, with little initial success.

 

"Respawned" after a shitty summer, I'm trying to focus on being less harsh on myself.  Throwing myself through training programs that beat me up too much isn't helping.  Trying to be more flexible, and forgiving.  Trying to make time for more things I enjoy other than work.

 

I suppose the on;y "fitness" goals I have right now are shaving 5-8% body fat, and getting a decent enough level of conditioning that I can hunt coyote this winter.

[The Battle Chef]

Starting this thread while I am nearly complete my first proper training block of the year.

Week 5 Day 1

Overhead Press at 90# 3x5
Squat at 115# 3x5

Barbell Row at 115# 3x5

 

Yes, it is kinda sad that I can row just as much (possibly more) than I squat.  

I don't particularly like training after work, but I have very little choice this week as we're friggin' busy!

[The Battle Chef]

Week 5 Day 2
Fasted cardio,  3.5 km in 1 hour.

Hate fasted anything.  I am not a pleasant person when I am hangry, but I have some weight to drop so oh well.

As much as I love my dogs, they are old and slow so I cannot count time walking them as proper cardio training.  It's great for being active and all that, but training stimulus it is not.  There's a fresh layer of snow down so I ventured to work's "fitness centre" and used the treadmill.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 5 Day 3

 

Cancelled due to life.  Better luck tomorrow!

[Loyster]

 

On 3/10/2018 at 10:57 PM, Azukmul gro-Dragnar said:

I found the level of DOMS, stiffness and lack of sufficient recovery to conflict directly with my day job

 

80% of my job is at a desk so feel free to ignore me but with the sort of programs you mentioned I found it took me about a month to get used to the training and the volume and I stopped getting DOMs so bad. It was a pretty rough month though...

After every lifting day I have a 1km (0.6mi) medium paced walk (around 10 minutes) and even if it's all placebo, it helps with recovery! 

 

Good luck with everything! 

[The Battle Chef]

Week 5, Day 4

Started the day off dark and early, 7 basketball teams of about 30 college age athletes apiece through the restaurant this morning.  Administration from other departments coming in to to get food (which they are not supposed to as they have a break room for that) and we're like

Conditioning day!  Unfortunately I cannot count the 12 km of power walking I did in the kitchen and restaurant (yes, I turned my phone's step counter on for this), so officially:

 

3 circuits of the following:

2 minutes skip rope

25 kettlebell swings at 16 kg

30 second plank
 

I accomplished 1.4 rounds of today's training.  Completely gassed.

 

[The Battle Chef]

Week 5, Day 5

Another crazy day feeding basketball teams.  Running laps around the kitchen all morning long makes me feel

Overhead Press 90# 3x5

Squat 115# 3x5

Barbell Row 115# 3x5

 

Had to push myself through the workout.  Seems every time work gets busy I have a harder and harder time training.  Really need that mental fortitude.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 6, Day 1

Overhead Press 3x3 at 100#

Squat 3x3 at 130#

Barbell Row 3x3 at 130#

I am glad this is the last week of Tactical Barbell.  squatting 3 times per week is getting to be a bit much.  I'll be switching back to Greyskull LP to build my lifts a little quicker.  I've got a much better grasp of nutrition, it should go better than last time.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 6, Day 2

What a week.  Multiple emergency trips to the vet, 6 hours of sleep spread over 3 days, and despite my better judgement a 90% intensity lifting day.   I feel like crap, yet I feel compelled to do something.  Lifting something is better than lifting nothing.

Overhead Press at 100# 3x3

3/3/3

Squat at 130# 3x3

0/0/0

Deadlift at 155# 1x3+

0/

 

Barely made it through the press, could not get past the warmups for squat & deadlift.  Not surprised, not deterred, not defeated.

[The Battle Chef]

The remainder of this week is cancelled due to illness.  Bronchitis is not an illness to mess around with.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 1 Day 1 of Greyskull

Holy heck this cold is kicking my ass.  I'm trying to resume as much normalcy as I can, so I did some fasted cardio this morning before work.

 

4.2 km in 60 minutes on a treadmill.  Felt pretty good, didn't die.

Tactical barbell was a good on-ramp block to get me back in the habit of regular lifting, but it's not the best for bringing up your raw numbers.  I'm switching over to Greyskull LP.  Adding barbell rows and chinup progressions, and having one optional (though encouraged) cardio day per week.  Training 4 days is doable, 5 seems to be pushing it for now.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 1 Day 2 of Greyskull

 

Bench Press 135# 3x5+

5/5/5

Barbell Row 130# 3x5+

5/5/7

 

Squat 130# 3x5+

5/5/6

I haven't bench pressed in almost a year and my numbers didn't go down as much as I had thought.  Feels good being able to add pounds to the bar regularly again!  Knees were getting creaky on the squats, but they held out today.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 1 Day 3 of Greyskull

 

The DOMS is strong with this program.  Goddamn.

 

Overhead Press 100# 3x5+

5/5/6

 

Assisted Chinup Negatives 5x1

1/1/1/1/1

 

Deadlift 155# 1x5+

7

Coughing fits suck, especially with a barbell locked overhead.  I really wish this cold would bugger off already!

[The Battle Chef]

Week 1 Day 4 of Greyskull

 

Bench Press 137.5# 3x5+

5/5/8

 

Barbell Row 132.5# 3x5+

5/5/8

 

Squat 132.5# 3x5+

5/5/6

 

It's good to finally get another training day when I'm not working.  No stress, no rush.  5 AM is my time to get sh*t done.

 

[The Battle Chef]

Week 2 Day 1 of Greyskull

3.4 km of fasted power walking in 45 minutes.

 

Lost some time rushing home to get my headphones.  I am a derp and forgot them.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 2 Day 2 of Greyskull

 

Overhead Press 102.5 3x5+

5/5/6

 

Assisted Chinup Negatives 5x1

1/1/1/1/1

 

Squat 135 3x5+

5/5/6

 

It's friggin' cold out!  I had to get my gloves out 'cause the bar was frozen solid.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 2 Day 3 of Greyskull has been lost to the echoes of time.  When you're so tired & sore that lying down on the bench is causing pain, it's time to go to bed.

 

Week 2 Day 4 of Greyskull

 

Overhead Press 105 3x5+

5/5/7

Assisted Chinup Negatives 5x1

1/1/1/1/1

Squat 140 3x5+

5/5/5

Tried doing as little assistance on the negatives as I could.  Those things are brutal.

[The Battle Chef]

Someone snuck some milk into my food the other day and it WRECKED me.  Solid 24 hours of "gastro-intestinal distress" and almost 48 hours to recover from that.  Being Lord of the Porcelain Throne is exhausting!

Week 3 Day 1

Bench Press 3x5+ 140#
5/5/6

Barbell Row 3x5+ 135#
5/5/7

Squat 3x5+ 145#

5/5/5

Week 3 Day 2
Overhead Press 3x5+ 107.5#

5/5/6
Assisted Chinup Negatives 5x1
1/1/1/1/1
Chinup Negative

Attempted, laughably pathetic.  Expected.
Deadlift 1x5+ 160#

6

Day 3 & 4 lost to dairy attack

Week 4 Day 1 (today)
Bench Press 3x5+ 142.5#

5/5/7

Barbell Row 3x5+ 137.5#

5/5/9

Squat 3x5+ 150#

5/5/6

[Crimpfingers]

Geez thats a big barbell row!

Keep at the chin-up negatives you will get there, I look forward to seeing the video of your first chin-up!

[The Battle Chef]

On 4/16/2018 at 4:13 AM, Crimpfingers said:

Geez thats a big barbell row!

Keep at the chin-up negatives you will get there, I look forward to seeing the video of your first chin-up!

Me too buddy.  Meeee too.

[The Battle Chef]

Week 4 Day 2

 

Overhead Press 3x5+ 110#

5/5/5

 

Assisted Chinup negatives 5x1

1/1/1/1/1

 

Chinup Negative 1x1

 

Deadlift 1x5+ 165#

5

You can tell which days I train after my shift 'cause I'm struggling to get the bear minimum done.  

[The Battle Chef]

Week 4 day 3 & 4

Could not get past the warmups, working myself to death at the moment.

[Crimpfingers]

Damn man, that sucks your work is so hectic. Great that you're still making it to gym. What are the chances work is going to be slowing down for you?

[The Battle Chef]

Upon death or dismemberment is the usual response I get lol.  Business is different week by week, not much I can do but what I can.  That being said tomorrow's the start of a deload week, so that will be helpful.

[The Battle Chef]

DELOAD WEEK WOOOOOO

Axle Strict Press 3x6 65#

6/6/6

 

Assisted Chinups 5x1

1/1/1/1/1

 

Axle Deadlift 2x6 100#

6/6

 

The snow is 99% gone, it is a beautiful 10 Celsius and not a cloud in the sky, my kind of weather.  Dogs are chasing groundhogs, birds are chirping all around.  Spring has finally arrived in Atlantic Canada.  I CAN FINALLY DO OUTSIDE STUFF WITHOUT FREEZING!

I managed to lose 12 pounds over the last month, though I've been a bit stuck at 300 pounds.  Still getting over a bad bout of "gastrointestinal distress".  Hoping that things'll calm down soon.