Big Show's on Holiday

[Big_Show]

This is very much a placeholder challenge.

 

I've just got back from Camp NF today (and had an absolutely phenomenal time), and I'm still away from work for the next three weeks.  This involves a week in France with my family, so I'm not going to be in any kind of consistent routine which would lend itself to a formal challenge thread.

 

Despite that, I've decided to run a thread in this challenge's forum anyway, with the intention of using it to flesh out my training programme for the next year, limit any more excessive eating and drinking (I have managed plenty of both while on holiday for the last two weeks), and recording what holiday training I do manage to fit in.  At the very least I am still aiming for 10k steps per day.

 

The current goal is a a Spartan Sprint in late August 2017.  To do this I will be working towards a Ranger/Scout hybrid class - also known as a Swift Hunter (once I heard the name I was sold).  This means balancing out a training programme that will balance out Absolute Strength (lifitng heavy shit), Relative Strength (bodyweight), and cardio endurance & speed (mainly running, because running is very fun and keeps me relatively sane).

 

I know this is all a bit vague not fleshed out yet, but I've had about five hours' sleep in total since Saturday morning, and over half of that was on a plane.  Bear with me, it'll get better...

[Terra]

Swift Hunter...  I like it!!!  Enjoy your vacation! I'm excited to see you work through your goals and find a system that works for you, wahoo!

[shaar]

GOAL 1 EAT ALL THE FRENCH FOOD

 

Goal 2 Don't feel bad about eating all the French food

 

Goal 3 Become a Swift Hunter, that does sound hella cool!

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

53 minutes ago, Big_Show said:

The current goal is a a Spartan Sprint in late August 2017.  To do this I will be working towards a Ranger/Scout hybrid class - also known as a Swift Hunter (once I heard the name I was sold).  This means balancing out a training programme that will balance out Absolute Strength (lifitng heavy shit), Relative Strength (bodyweight), and cardio endurance & speed (mainly running, because running is very fun and keeps me relatively sane).

This is the very heart of what it means to be a Ranger, the primeval Ranger description, one who focuses on Cardio and Strength. I look forward to your program you develop on being a prototypical Ranger. May I suggest extensive foam rolling and yoga be part of that program given your proclivity for cramps, doms, and old-man soreness?

 

Also, to anyone who's never heard it, Big_Show's accent is amazing. It's a whole other world reading his posts in his voice.

[Raxie]

1 hour ago, Big_Show said:

I know this is all a bit vague not fleshed out yet, but I've had about five hours' sleep in total since Saturday morning, and over half of that was on a plane.  Bear with me, it'll get better...

 

Plus all that quality sleep time you got at camp! Don't forget about that! /sarcasm

 

I may or may not have slept 14 hours last night.

 

18 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Also, to anyone who's never heard it, Big_Show's accent is amazing. It's a whole other world reading his posts in his voice.

 

This was actually one of my favourite parts last year too! I love reading peoples posts in their voices in my brain.  So lovely.

[shaar]

31 minutes ago, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Also, to anyone who's never heard it, Big_Show's accent is amazing. It's a whole other world reading his posts in his voice.

 

Every Big Show post is now read in Big Show voice.

[skinNbones]

Spartan !

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.

[darkfoxx]

HAI BIG SHOW!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Amdhiel]

 

It was awesome bunking with you again at camp <3 and I'm missing all of KD 22 hard. I'm sure you'll figure things out and come up with a good plan.

[Big_Show]

On 9/26/2016 at 8:48 PM, shaar said:

GOAL 1 EAT ALL THE FRENCH FOOD

 

Goal 2 Don't feel bad about eating all the French food

 

Goal 3 Become a Swift Hunter, that does sound hella cool!

 

I shall eat everything and love every second of it!  The consequences are for Future Big Show to deal with.  Although I am still taking a shedload of running kit, obviously.

 

On 9/26/2016 at 8:56 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

This is the very heart of what it means to be a Ranger, the primeval Ranger description, one who focuses on Cardio and Strength. I look forward to your program you develop on being a prototypical Ranger. May I suggest extensive foam rolling and yoga be part of that program given your proclivity for cramps, doms, and old-man soreness?

 

Also, to anyone who's never heard it, Big_Show's accent is amazing. It's a whole other world reading his posts in his voice.

 

Don't worry, foam rolling and yoga mini-sessions are a daily part of this training programme.  Gotta keep those legs in one piece!

 

 

17 hours ago, Amdhiel said:

 

It was awesome bunking with you again at camp <3 and I'm missing all of KD 22 hard. I'm sure you'll figure things out and come up with a good plan.

 

You too!  Poverty Cabin was blatantly the best cabin for the second year running.

[Big_Show]

Ok, so I didn't get round to updating my thread yesterday due to being busy having proper Unlce time with my niece & nephew and then going otu for dinner down at our local (thai red curry washed down with proper scrumpy cider - lush!), plus an overabundance of post-Camp Nerdrawals.  Too many Feels, dammit.

 

I did get out for a nice easy run in the afternoon though (3.3M in 27:16 @ 8:13/mile average); it's just so much easier over here, plus I got to explore some nice familiar trails as well.  I have definitely missed this place.  I also hit 20k steps from wandering round town in the morning first too, so I definitely earned the scrumpy.

 

Today was a bit more shopping followed by another run in the afternoon - I accidentally didn't save the GPS file on my watch so I don't know anything other than that is was around 4.25M, plus I stopped to take photos of the route to show people.  I also had a breakthrough while thinking my way through the Build Your Hero Toolkit mindset class from Camp, so that was really handy.  I do a lot of my best thinking when out running on my own.

 

My back is continuing to improve.  Apparently injuring it during the kickball game was actually just a resurgence of what I did a couple of weeks before Camp, and so that inflatable obstacle course just exacerbated the problem once more... it's fine with running and sitting properly though, so no lifting until I'm back in Doha and Bob's your uncle.

 

Which brings me on to a question I would like to consult the nerds about - now my squat form is fixed I can bring it back in.  I'm currently doing a 3 day bodypart split consiting of 3x10reps for each exercise, and I think I'm going to stick with this until the New Year before changing it.  Thing is, would it still be ok to put a 5x5 squat session at the beginning of the leg day?  Is it ok to mix set/rep patterns in the same workout?

 

Tomorrow we're driving down to Dover in preparation for heading off to France for the week on Friday - I have packed my massage ball to attack my calves daily, the yoga sessions are downloaded onto my Kindle, and I'm going to make a start on the daily Grok squat work.  I'm guessing only a few seconds at first, but at least I can get down there at all now!

 

I am, of course, still packing my lanyard & bandana from Camp to take with me on this holiday.  And a Rubik's Cube with @wovercast's instructions.  And a load of books.  And running kit.  Should be nice & relaxing...

 

 

[Rurik Harrgath]

On 2016-09-26 at 2:00 PM, Big_Show said:

To do this I will be working towards a Ranger/Scout hybrid class - also known as a Swift Hunter (once I heard the name I was sold). 

 

You're welcome. 

 

 

14 minutes ago, Big_Show said:

Thing is, would it still be ok to put a 5x5 squat session at the beginning of the leg day?  Is it ok to mix set/rep patterns in the same workout?

 

Have you thought at all about following a StrongLift 5x5 style program?

[Big_Show]

3 minutes ago, Rurik Harrgath said:

 

You're welcome. 

 

 

 

Have you thought at all about following a StrongLift 5x5 style program?

 

I started off with one similar to that before I noped right out of my squat form, but there were a couple of problems - 1) that I was just in the gym for so damn long getting it all done, and 2) with squatting three times a week I can't really get any quality run training in.  With one leg day a week, I can put a rest day after it and still do proper sprint & tempo workouts on other days.

 

Is there any kind of hybrid programme that anyone knows of perhaps? Whenever I Google strength workouts for runners I tend to end up with low weight/high rep garbage...

[Wild Wolf]

On 9/26/2016 at 2:56 PM, Tanktimus the Encourager said:

Also, to anyone who's never heard it, Big_Show's accent is amazing. It's a whole other world reading his posts in his voice.

 

Couldn't agree with you more! I was tickled to have a RL convo with the man himself. He's quite charismatic too  Following along my friend! Swift Hunter is a wicked character class!

 

W0lf

[Big_Show]

You know, thinking about it, would it just be easier for people to comment if I wrote up my full current plan for the weekly workouts? I think I've got all teh information easily accessible on my phone or online somewhere.

[Big_Show]

Ok, seeing as this is my last chance to use an actual laptop for around a week and a half (I'll be relegated to Tapatalk for the duration, apologies if this means I miss something) I thought I'd post my current training plan for suggestions/critique/ridicule.

 

As I've said, the overall goal is a Spartan Sprint next August.  This means lifting to work on my absolute strength, working on relative strength so as to be able to haul my bodyweight over/around/under/through obstacles, and also my cardio speed & endurance because I love running and want to do loads of it whenever I can.

 

Swift Hunter class much?

 

The current gym plan is to continue on with basically the same workouts I had been doing for a month or so before Camp, as I had been making nice progress with them, and then adapt it in the New Year.  I will be switching it around to include my newfound squat confidence once again, and in the New Year I will attack my fear of the bench press.  One lfit at a time, however.

 

So the general plan now looks like:

 

Sun: Sprint session - w/u, 400m + recovery, c/d (increasing number of reps weekly)

 

Mon: Back & biceps

 

Tues: Tempo run

 

Wed: Leg day!

 

Thurs:  Rest

 

Fri: Long run with the local running club, gradually increasing distance

 

Sat: Chest, shoulders & triceps

 

Every day I shall be doing the 7min Squat Mobility mini-session from NF yoga (unless I happen to do a longer video instead), and I'm going to gradually increase my grok squatting time until I can hit 10mins nonstop.  Starting off first with just accumulating 2min in total for the day until I can do that nonstop.

 

Here are the actual gym workouts themselves - unless otherwise specified, the I do 2 sets of 10reps followed by a 3rd max set, increasing the weight next time if I hit 12+ on the last set.

 

Back & Biceps:

Barbell deadlifts

One-arm DB row

Machine-assisted pull-up (gradually getting closer to getting my first pull-up from deadhang)

Lat pulldown (to work more on the sticking point directly)

DB alternate bicep curl

EZ-bar curl (because Guns)

 

Legs

Barbell squat - 5x5

Leg extensions

Seated leg curl

Seated calf raise (to strengthen the damn things so they don't get injured again like last year)

Standing calf raise

 

Chest, Shoulders & Triceps

DB bench press

DB flyes

Side lateral raise

Seated DB press

Machine-assisted dips

Triceps pushdown

 

I've moved deadlifts to Back & Biceps day so now I can't figure out if Leg day needs more exercises and more volume, or if I should just start off like this and add something a few weeks down the line if it seems right?

 

I think that covers everything.  If I remember anything else I'll add it in from my phone.

 

Any and all advice gratefully received!

[Big_Show]

Oh yeah, remembered one immediately - I'm going to put in a Grease the Groove for the pull-ups too. Really need to hit them hard so I can get to other exercises, start practising monkey bars, etc.

[Raxie]

Still so excited for you and your squats!! Can't wait til you start doing them again.

 

I'm a little jealous on your Swift Hutner discovery and how that 1000000% fits your goals.  I need to do some more multiclass researching.

 

HAVE FUNNNN!

[Big_Show]

Still so excited for you and your squats!! Can't wait til you start doing them again.

 

I'm a little jealous on your Swift Hutner discovery and how that 1000000% fits your goals.  I need to do some more multiclass researching.

 

HAVE FUNNNN!

Hit up the rogue Canadian for some advice - he pointed this one out to me!

I think it was some expansion for DnD v3.5 which had a load of options? Worth a Googleing!

[Raxie]

17 minutes ago, Big_Show said:

Hit up the rogue Canadian for some advice - he pointed this one out to me!

I think it was some expansion for DnD v3.5 which had a load of options? Worth a Googleing!

 

OMG I'M SUCH A DOPE! This just made me realize that the Prestige Class I've been leveling up towards in my D&D game is perfectttttttttt for meeeee.  I see a future challenge theme in the making.....

[Tanktimus the Encourager]

After having met you, I want to recommend a newer avatar pic. I don't know who that baby faced person is under your name.

[Terra]

Have fun storming the castle! in France!  

 

 

[Brunehild]

How could I possibly miss that you were going to France?? I guess I was too busy attacking Brits with swords and arrows. Where will you be? Have fun anyway, good luck with not eating ALL THE BAGUETTE.

 

Signed the Frenchie (well, one of them).

[Big_Show]

 

OMG I'M SUCH A DOPE! This just made me realize that the Prestige Class I've been leveling up towards in my D&D game is perfectttttttttt for meeeee.  I see a future challenge theme in the making..... [emoji3]

There you go! No need to go seeking another bearded foreigner after all!

After having met you, I want to recommend a newer avatar pic. I don't know who that baby faced person is under your name.

You may have a point. I shall look around for a good one.

How could I possibly miss that you were going to France?? I guess I was too busy attacking Brits with swords and arrows. Where will you be? Have fun anyway, good luck with not eating ALL THE BAGUETTE.

 

Signed the Frenchie (well, one of them).

Off to Strasbourg to go on the canals for a week!

[Big_Show]

Ok, so yesterday went well. Deive down to the south coast and stayed in a nice little country pub that also did B&B. Went for a good walk before dinner to get in my 10k steps in, did my squat mobility yoga mini-session (so glad I remembered to download all those videos to the Kindle), and spent 2mins sat against the wall in a deep squat.

Had a bit of a moment later on in the evening and needed to red band it for a while. Handily some of the techniques I learned at Camp worked eventually and I'm back in an even keel again today.

Currently waiting to board the ferry to Calais, and I intend to basically spend the entire hour or so of the trip walking round. Gonna be in the car for a good 5hrs or so afterwards so best get my steps in first.