The Battle Chef's Log

[Mikey Fitpants]

On 3/4/2019 at 7:56 PM, Rusk said:

Do all sets of A before doing all sets of B before doing all sets of C before doing all sets of D

I've been trying to stick with the A sets being "priming" exercises to get joints ready to go, B sets being the "main mover" exercise paired with an antagonistic mover (normally I press and row but I don't have the change plates for 4 sets of implements).  C sets are supplementary work and D sets are accessory work (which are optional).

 

So for Example I'd do B1 followed by B2 before taking a rest and repeating until all 3 B sets are done, then I'd do all C sets in order.

I'm looking forward to being done with the dumbbell routine and getting back to proper barbell lifting.

Ah, I see. Makes sense  

[The Battle Chef]

I had an "interesting" training day.  Got called into work mid-session, ended up doing the last few sets in the evening (no big deal, it's just assistance work.)

I removed the priming sets (halos, prying squats, core) because I'm curious to see if they were making a difference or not.  We'll see by Thursday.

 

I am working up to whatever ends up being a comfortable set of 3x5 just to get reacquainted with the technique and intensity that I've been lacking for the past 2 months.

 

Warmup	Deadbug	1x5	-	y
	T-Spine Rotation	1x5	-	y
	Rock Back	1x8	-	y
	Tactical Frog	1x5/s	-	y
	Shoulder Circles	1x3	-	y
	Hip Hinge	1x8	-	y
A1	Squat	3x5	___#	5	5	5
A2	Plank	3x3	12 sec	3	3	3
B1	Asst. GHR	3x5	-	5	5	5
B2	Farmer's Carry	3x40'	75#/ea	y	y	y
C1	Asst. Split Squat	3x8/s	-	8	8	8
C2	Glute Bridge	3x8	65#	8	8	8
C3	Hip Adductions	3x8	30#	8	8	8

 

 

In other news, I've been promoted to executive sous chef!  First time with a salaried job.  I will be aggressively saving a downpayment for a house over the next 3 years (which will include an upgraded home gym)

[Mikey Fitpants]

Well done with the training and very well done with the job, that's great news.   

 

What country/city/town do you work in? Is it a certain type of food that your kitchen makes?

[The Battle Chef]

I work for an international hotel chain in Atlantic Canada.  We do mainly international style cuisine as well as banquet services.

[The Battle Chef]

I am goddamned exhausted today, though I attribute that more to the dumbness that is daylight savings time D:

 

Warmup	Deadbug	1x5	-	y
	T-Spine Rotation	1x5	-	y
	Rock Back	1x8	-	y
	Tactical Frog	1x5/s	-	y
	Shoulder Circles	1x3	-	y
	Hip Hinge	1x8	-	y
A1	Press	3x5	110#	5	5	5
A2	Inverted Row	3x6	-	6	6	6
B1	Asst. Dips	3x10	-	10	10	10
B2	DB Row	3x10/s	65#	7	7	7
C1	Bicep Curl	3x10	45#	7	6	x
C2	Band Pull Apart	3x10	Blue	8	6	x
C3	C2 Rower	3x250m	#4	y	y	x

 

[Jupiter]

On 3/10/2019 at 12:38 PM, Rusk said:

In other news, I've been promoted to executive sous chef!  First time with a salaried job.  I will be aggressively saving a downpayment for a house over the next 3 years (which will include an upgraded home gym)

 

That's awesome, congrats!!!

[The Battle Chef]

On 3/11/2019 at 11:31 PM, Jupiter said:

 

That's awesome, congrats!!!

Thanks!

 

Warmup	Deadbug	1x5	-	y
	T-Spine Rotation	1x5	-	y
	Rock Back	1x8	-	y
	Tactical Frog	1x5/s	-	y
	Shoulder Circles	1x3	-	y
	Hip Hinge	1x8	-	y
A1	Deadlift	3x5	185#	5	5	5
A2	Plank	3x1	15 sec	1	1	1
B1	Reverse Hyper	3x5	35#	5	5	5
B2	Farmer's Carry	3x40'	77.5# ea	y	y	y
C1	Asst. Split Squat	3x8/s	-	8	5	5
C2	Glute Bridge	3x8	70#	8	8	8
C3	Hip adductions	3x8	35#	8	5	5

 

Overall decent day despite being out of groceries and having a small breakfast.  My legs could have gone heavier on the deadlifts but my left hand was starting to struggle around 190#.  Oh well.  Farmer's Carries felt much less imbalanced today.

[WhiteGhost]

Congratulations on the promotion!

[The Battle Chef]

Bah, work related bullshit threw me off my rhythm.  Worked up to a 135# bench & row 3x5 and called it a day.

[The Battle Chef]

I've been training after work this week due to scheduling conflicts, which sucks.  Too tired & pissed off to get much done.  

Squatted 175# 3x3 yesterday, pressed 115# 3x3 today, didn't do anything else.  

[The Battle Chef]

Glad last week is done.  Next week isn't looking any better, work-wise but at least I can get training before my shift again.  I did some token deadlifting and benching last wed & fri just to set my training maxes for doing some proper 5/3/1 again, starting today.  I also had another fall on the ice, and hurt my elbow something fierce.  

 

I will be doing two (6 week) "leader" blocks (basically higher volume), followed by one (6 week) "anchor" block (less volume, higher intensity), with one deload week between each block.

First leader's block is 3/5/1 pyramids.  I will incorporate jumps/throws into the warmup on the next leader block, when the weather is nicer.

 

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Hip Hinge	2x8	8	8
A1	Squat	67.5	x5	5	82.5	x5	5	100	x5	5	117.5	x3	3
		132.5	x3	3	150	x3+	4	132.5	x3	3	117.5	x3+	5
A2	Plank	8x15"	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
B1	Assisted GHR	4x5	-	5	5	5	5
B2	Farmer's Carry	4x40'	85	y	y	y	y
C1	Reverse Hyper	4x6	40	6	6	6	6
C2	Ast. Split Squats	4x6	-	6	6	6	6

 

 

Today went very smoothly, even though I ended up taking 2 hours to do everything (I wasn't timing myself, or rushing myself either).  I wish my knees wouldn't crackle so much when squatting but I know it isn't really an issue.  My left hand grip on the farmers was not the best but I made it through alright.  My split squats have been great since I figured out how to fix my technique.  No more pain from them.  I hope I can keep this momentum going through the week!

 

 

[The Battle Chef]

Ohhh it was slow getting out of bed this morning...  Stomach was bugging me so I skipped the caffeine.

 

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Hip Hinge	2x8	8	8
A1	Press	45	x5	8	57.5	x5	5	67.5	x5	5	80	x3	3
		90	x3	3	102.5	x3+	5	90	x3	3	80	x3+	8
A2	DB Row	8x3	50	3	3	3	3	3	3	3	3
B1	Assisted Dips	4x8	-	8	8	8	8
B2	inverted row	4x8	-	8	8	8	8
C	Cardio Rowing	4x250m	y	y	x	x

[The Battle Chef]

Holy crap, what a week.  I've identified caffeine as the culprit of most of my gastro-intestinal distress.  This sucks, but it does force me to eat better so I keep my energy up through the week.  I'm trying to train my brain (and my dog's dumbass tiny bladder) to sleep in a little later.  Work sucks when you're up at 3 AM out of long habit regardless if you need to do anything or not.  Bleh.

Adjusting to a "stimulant free existance" or whatever hippy crap you wanna call it was rough.  My legs are wrecked from breaking in a new pair of work shoes (can't do it in increments since my old pair was literally disintegrating on my feet).  Deadlifting on Wednesday was garbage.  My hands and knees shit the bed around 180# (not even my top set) so I called it a day.

Today went better, at least.  Went a little lighter on the assistance stuff since everything aches right now.

 

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Glute Bridge	2x8	8	8
A1	Bench Press	55	x8	8	67.5	x5	5	82.5	x5	5	95	x3	3
		110	x3	3	122.5	x3+	7	110	x3	3	95	x3+	10
A2	Barbell Row	55	x8	8	67.5	x5	5	82.5	x5	5	95	x3	3
		110	x3	3	122.5	x3+	7	110	x3	3	95	x3+	10
B1	Assisted Dips	4x8	-	6	6	6	6
B2	Inverted Row	4x8	-	6	6	6	6
C	Cardio Rowing	4x250m	y	y	y	x

 

It's frustrating not pressing as much as I used to, but I can still rep out without much issue.

Tomorrow I am shutting off the internet and my phone, and I'm not doing a goddamned thing but luxuriating.  If the outside world wants to get ahold of me, try registered mail or a carrier pidgeon.

[WhiteGhost]

Enjoy your rest day!

[The Battle Chef]

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Glute Bridge	2x8	8	8
A1	Squat	67.5	x8	8	82.5	x5	5	100	x5	5	107.5	x5	5
		125	x5	5	142.5	x5+	5	125	x5	5	107.5	x5+	6
A2	Plank	8x15"	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
B1	Assisted GHR	4x5	-	5	5	5	5
B2	Farmer's Carry	4x40'	87.5	y	y	y	y
C1	Reverse Hyper	4x6	45	6	6	6	6
C2	Ast. Split Squats	4x6	-	6	6	6	6

[The Battle Chef]

My spud inc lat pulldown thing finally arrived in the mail, right before I was heading to the gym.  Hooray for fortuitous timing.

 

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Glute Bridge	2x8	8	8
A1	Press	45	x8	8	57.5	x5	5	67.5	x5	5	75	x5	5
		85	x5	5	97.5	x5+	7	85	x5	5	75	x5+	9
A2	DB Row	8x5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
B1	Assisted Dips	4x8	-	8	8	8	8
B2	Lat Pulldown	4x8	50#	8	8	8	8
C	Cardio Rowing	4x250m	y	y	y	y

 

I'll likely be increasing the weight on the lat pulldown by 15# until I get to a good working weight.  Curious how sore I'm going to be with the new exercise.

[The Battle Chef]

Long crappy day.  Did deadlifts and that's it.

 

Deadlift	90	x8	8	112.5	x5	f	135	x5	f	147.5	x5	5
	170	x5	5	192.5	x5+	6	170	x5	5	147.5	x5+	6

[The Battle Chef]

Friday bench day was a thing.  Worked up to the top set of (something.  I don't have it recorded at the moment) for bench & row.  I had lost power overnight the night of, fell in the dark and landed right on my operated hand.  It's still super stiff but shouldn't impact squats today.

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Glute Bridge	2x8	8	8
A1	Squat	67.5	x5	5	82.5	x5	5	100	x5	5	125	x5	5
		142.5	x3	3	157.5	x1+	3	142.5	x3	3	125	x5+	7
A2	Plank	8x20"	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	0.5
B1	Assisted GHR	4x5	-	5	5	5	5
B2	Farmer's Carry	4x40'	85	y	y	y	y

[Jupiter]

On 4/4/2019 at 1:45 PM, Rusk said:

Long crappy day.  Did deadlifts and that's it.

 

 

Deadlift	90	x8	8	112.5	x5	f	135	x5	f	147.5	x5	5
	170	x5	5	192.5	x5+	6	170	x5	5	147.5	x5+	6

 

Hey something is better than nothing. Nice job!

 

[The Battle Chef]

I accidentally ate something that I should have thrown out after I lost power a few days ago.  Stomach is not in a good place right now.  Only reason I trained at all is because it's just my garage and nobody else cares if I accidentally mess the place (close call).

 

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	3	3
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Glute Bridge	2x8	4	4
A1	Press	45	x8	8	57.5	x5	5	67.5	x5	5	85	x5	5
		97.5	x3	3	107.5	x1+	3	97.5	x3	3	85	x5+	8
A2	DB Row	8x5	52.5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
B1	Assisted Dips	4x8	-	5	5	x	x
B2	Lat Pull Down	4x8	75	5	5	x	x

 

 

I'm actually taking a sick day today.  I think the last one I took was in 2016 when I needed an xray to make sure I didn't break my foot. 

 

D:

[Jupiter]

3 hours ago, Rusk said:

I'm actually taking a sick day today.  I think the last one I took was in 2016 when I needed an xray to make sure I didn't break my foot.

 

Feel better!

 

[WhiteGhost]

5 hours ago, Rusk said:

I accidentally ate something that I should have thrown out

Luckily it doesn't seem to be too serious.  I have had food poisoning a few times and I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemies

[The Battle Chef]

I slept in today and ran out of gym time >.<  Whoopsies.

 

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Glute Bridge	2x8	8	8
A1	Deadlift	90	x5	5	112.5	x5	5	135	x5	5	170	x5	5
		192.5	x3	3	215	x1+	2	192.5	x3	3	170	x5+	5
A2	Plank	8x20"	1	1	1	1	1	x	x	x

[The Battle Chef]

Well, did not have a good visit with the doc this week.  A1C has crept up to 7.0.  Medication has been adjusted and starting next week I'll be re-jiggering the workouts to put more conditioning at the beginning of the session so I don't skip them.

 

Warmup	Mobility	Yes	y
	KB Halo	2x6	6	6
	Prying Squat	2x5	5	5
	KB Armbar	2x6br	6	6
	Glute Bridge	2x8	8	8
A1	Bench Press	55	x8	8	67.5	x5	5	82.5	x5	5	102.5	x5	5
		115	x3	3	130	x1+	5	115	x3	3	102.5	x5+	8
A2	Barbell Row	55	x8	8	67.5	x5	5	82.5	x5	5	102.5	x5	5
		115	x3	3	130	x1+	5	115	x3	3	102.5	x5+	8

 

 

Feel like crap after a few brutal shifts, meds adjustment still processing.  Took the pooch for a long walk with a 25# backpack instead of battling with lightheadedness in the gym.

[ladyofthebog]

I’m sorry to the read the s*** news. How frustrating. Sounds like you reacted by doing positive things which is impressive. Keep on trucking.