Deload Week 1-1

Back Squat 5-5-5 (55,65,75%)
185
205
225

Press (55,65,75%)
85
95
110

Dips
3x3x20# Weighted
1x9 (PR by new standards)

Overhand Strict Pullups 3-5-3-3-8

10-15 minutes of PVC pipe rolling, focusing mainly on lower back.

COMMENTS

• General: I already am starting to think this deload week is just what the doctor ordered. It felt good going light and I'm not sure how much I could've done today if I scheduled normal training. Something definitely is off but I'm hoping to figure it out soon. I purchased creatine monohydrate, zinc and magnesium today to add to my supplements. I'll update as I try them out.
• Nutrition: Strict. I think eating more protein over the next few days will help me feel better.
• Body: In general just run down. Really a shitty feeling overall. Bought some Icyhot today and have been trying to make my back feel better.
• Sleep: 7-8 hours
• Reflections: Hopefully a good night of sleep and some more light days will help over the course of the week. If I don't feel any change by my rest day Thursday I will likely take 2-3 days in a row completely off.

Rest Day

No training

20 minute hot bath
15 minute massage

COMMENTS

• General: Ugh. Just a long day of work and stress. Kicking off the start of a nice light week. Some good recovery methods taken care of today.
• Nutrition: Good. Won't be eating any nuts this week
• Body: Legs are really sore and back is still bothering me
• Sleep: 9 hours. Took 3mg of melatonin last night which is the highest I've ever taken. Slept deliciously
• Reflections: Ate too many nuts today. Going to hopefully get out of this rut over the next couple days.

Week in Review (2/21-2/27)

Highlight of the week:
200# Bench Press

Low Point of the week:
Injury during long run and nagging back problems
PR's: (6)
290x5 Back Squat
140x3 Press
100 Burpees in 6:40 (20 sec PR)
190# Split Jerk
200# Bench Press
335x5# Box Squat

Things I Didn't Do:
- 405x3 Deadlift (Back bothering me)
- Run 4 hours (foot injury... see a pattern?)
- 135x5 Press (instead did 3 rep sets, but did PR)

Goals For Next Week:
- 1 Performed Recovery Method each day (Foam roll, massage, ice plunge, primal walk, Mwods, etc)
- Keep the week really light, keep ego in check
- Test and evaluate the first week of 50pullups.com program
- Test out new running shoes (if foot injury allows)
- 7 days of no cheats
- 1 IF session

OTHER COMMENTS:
My overall goal for this week was to hit some PRs before I went into my first deload week. This entire week I felt pretty crappy overall which leads me to believe I'm doing something very wrong. My diet will change as of today for good because like I said yesterday I'm sick of shorthanding myself. I'm going to start focusing on my protein intake very heavily because the days when I lacked enough protein were often the times I felt the worst.

I've hit that wall with running that I have hit a few times in the past. I have lost a lot of motivation to do my long runs. This stupid foot injury isn't helping. After the NJ ultra festival I'm going to re-evaluate where I want to go for the next couple months. There's a chance I may nix running entirely for a while to try and get stronger. Maybe some real trail running will give me a spark because I hate running on the roads, so we'll see what happens when the snow is gone.
Made a couple changes to my template for after the 50m is over. Decided to add a second day of dips, switch front squats for box squats and I'm still trying to decide what I'll do on my long run day if I decide to take a break from running.

Next week will be very light. I'm not planning on hitting any PR's. The only thing I have planned to PR on is dips for the upcoming training week. I'm hoping this lets my  CNS repair itself and I can come back more motivated the week after to crush some 1rm PR's and hit a few shorter runs for the final days prior to the race. I definitely think this is a positive thing for my body although my ego may suffer with such a low volume week of no PR's and little effort exerted.

Long Run

~16.5 mile run in 3:00:49. Covered my loop once with an out and back. Ran the entire length of Brigham hill 3 times.


COMMENTS

• General: Ugh. The nagging left foot caught up with me bad today. The left arch is really shot and made me stop prematurely. I really don't know what I did and why it won't go away, but I'm pretty sure I'm done with my long runs before the race. I definitely didn't want this to happen but I would rather remain positive than start to freak out. I walked much of the last 20-30 minutes of the run simply because it hurt too much. Some good news was that it hurt 10x worse going up and down hill and not as bad on flats. My race course is completely flat.
• Nutrition: Poor.
• Body: My legs were pretty wiped today from the box squats yesterday and probably some of the other stuff.
• Sleep: 8 hours
• Reflections: I ordered the New Balance Mt101's today, which are trail shoes designed for a more minimalist feel. I got them for $54 dollars so I was pleased to get a good deal and a 2nd pair of trail shoes. Decided I am going to give the 50pullups.com program a shot after seeing how much success Shane Skowron (His Blog) had using it. Fits well with my gym schedule so might as well give it a chance. Am I bummed about my injury? Of course. But I'm going to NJ regardless and I'd rather run my foot into the ground and finish last place than quit. Some big life changes are going to begin starting this tomorrow. No more excuses. I'm done shorthanding myself.

Box Squat, Bench, Strongman, Curls

Bench Press 3-3-3-1-1
175
185
190 (PR)
200 (PR)
205 (F)

Box Squat 5-5-5
315
325
335 (PR)


10-7-5
Log Clean + Press (estimated 125-155#)
60# KB Swings

Time: 4:54


*Atlas Stone practice*


Bicep Curls 3x5x95# barbell cheat style, Walked the rack from 45-25#

COMMENTS

• General: I really liked doing atlas stones and plan to continue working on my form and getting stronger with those. I benched >=200# for the first time in my life today which is very weak but motivating to see progress. Box squat was good but I've been re-thinking them recently. Planning on changing day 5 to a front squat day. I think it will provide a lot more benefits especially if I ever go back to Crossfit or begin Oly lifting which I have been thinking about for quite some time. The metcon with the log clean and press was new and very challenging.
• Nutrition: Pretty good but I carb'd up for the run tomorrow
• Body: I need my back to feel better. Other than that I'm good to go.
• Sleep: 7 hours
• Reflections: Tomorrow I'll be hitting up a run that should be 26-28 miles with Contois. Bryan will be coming for the first loop. My plan is to see how tomorrow goes and then I will decide if I want to go long again next weekend or only hit a 15-20 miler instead. Today was a great day but I was really wiped.

Rest Day

No training

COMMENTS

• General: No training today. I've been so swamped with work this week it's been unbelievable. Between class and work I'm having trouble fitting in anything, even eating.
• Nutrition: Strict
• Body: Feel good just tired
• Sleep: 9.5 hours
• Reflections: Hitting a nice strength day tomorrow then a very long run on Saturday. Most likely 20+ miles as long as all body functions comply. Can't wait for this week to be over because these 6 hour shifts that get over at 11pm are killing me.

Jerk, Clean Pull, Pullups, 500m Row

Split Jerk 1-1-1
175(PR)
185(PR)
190(PR)

*165 was my PR from last summer

Clean Pull Practice, worked up to 215# for single reps

Max Rep Chinups, 90 sec rest
9, 7. 5, 5, 6


Row 500m:
1:28.6 (PR by 3 seconds)


COMMENTS

• General: Pleased with the 25# jerk PR since I haven't done a jerk since last summer. The clean pulls originally were supposed to be my attempt to set a new PR in the power clean, but it was obviously quickly that would not occur today. My PR on the row was awesome because I've been wanting sub-1:30 for some time now.
• Nutrition: Not good
• Body: I felt OK today. For some reason I think something may be wrong like I may be getting sick.
• Sleep: 7.5 hours
• Reflections: I've been thinking a lot today about my health and stuff because something I read the other day has been sitting weirdly with me. It was about compulsive eaters and I seem to have some of the signs of someone who has this problem. Sometimes when I eat junk I honestly don't think others perceive it the way I do. I crave food. Even if I don't want to eat, I keep going. I think it might have to do with my history of being overweight and never monitoring what I ate before the last couple years. I don't know what I could really do about it... but it's just something I plan to keep monitoring. I've felt like crap and ate like crap the last couple days. Need to fix this now. Rest day tomorrow.

Welcome to Burpeeville

100 Burpees For Time

6:40 (PR by 20Sec from 1/4/11)


COMMENTS

• General: Didn't have time to do much today between a 5 hour shift and a 3 hour night class. Today was going to be my deadlift day but I called it off. I was very happy with this 20 second PR because I only did this 7-8 weeks ago and my triceps and chest were sore going into it. Definitely think I'll hit my goal of sub 6 this year.
• Nutrition: Good, strict
• Body: Felt pretty good today. Shoulders were kind of tight
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: Trying to plan out the rest of my week now that it was messed up with no deadlift session. I'll probably have it figured out before Thursday's day off.

Back Squat, Press, Dips, Curls

Back Squat 5-5-5
275
285
290 (PR)

Press 3-3-3-3-3
130
135(F)
135 (PR)
140 (PR)
140 (F)

Pressed 95# for 12 reps


5x Max Rep Dips, 90 Second Strict Rest:
8, 6, 5, 4, 3

Curls: 2x8x40# DB's, 1x8x30# KB's, walked rack from 35 to 20
Shoulder Shrugs: 3x12x75#

COMMENTS

• General: I really just didn't feel like training today for some reason. When I got to the gym and began warming up I debated just going home, but somehow managed to hit a PR on both of the big lifts. Walked out of the gym feeling a hell of a lot better. I think doing dips with minimal rest will make my numbers go up higher. My re-vamped program will likely program them 2x a week because I think they are really helping my upper body strength.
• Nutrition: Good, mostly strict. I had milk for the first time today in weeks. Only had it to see if it would help me recover faster.Felt like shit. Just not worth it. Won't be doing it again.
• Body: I feel good in general. Just pretty tired.
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: I think my poor nutrition over the weekend and bad sleeping schedule (along with lots of stress) attributed to the slow start today. Had a rough weekend in general. I don't think I'll be deadlifting tomorrow because I've had some feelings in my lower back that just tell me I need to take some time off. I'll make my final decision when I wake up. On a negative note, I'm seriously thinking I may need to have some work done on my left knee this summer. It's been really nagging me recently with everything I do and hasn't felt normal (whereas it would feel normal on days I didn't train before) for nearly 2 months. Squatting, running, etc. all seem to irritate it. My friend from SC had his knee cleaned up a few weeks ago and had similar symptoms to what I have. Just a dull ache all the time. Just something I'll be thinking about for a while because I can't do it now anyway.

Week in Review (2/4-2/20)

Highlight of the week:
Back Squat PR 5x285#

Low Point of the week:
General shitty feeling of eating at a caloric deficit

PR's: (2)
5x285# Back Squat
215# Power Clean
Things I Said I'd Do, and Did:- Fast at least once
- Run Fartlek style for the first time

Things I Didn't Do:
- Hit 405x3 Deadlift
- 3-4 hour run on Saturday
- No paleo deviations
- Primal walk for 2 hours (1 hour)

Goals For Next Week:
- 405x3 Deadlift
- 4 hour run on Saturday
- 135x5 Press
OTHER COMMENTS:

Even with two junky days of eating this week I felt a lot leaner than normal which is a good sign. I've been reading so much about it over the last few days and I really am having a hard time deciding if I'm willing to sacrifice strength gains to get leaner. I think I should just push my linear progressions as far as I can and then worry about how lean I am. You only live once and I'd rather hit a 600# deadlift instead of getting a six pack. Of course that's a tough decision to make for me so I will continue to try to lean out, but I cannot eat at a calorie deficit all the time. Instead I'll worry about gaining a lot of muscle for now. If in the coming weeks I start questioning this theory again, someone slap me please and tell me to wake up. Performance > Aesthetics
 
The lack of PRs was  because I'm close to my stalling weight and because I didn't eat enough food this week. I'm going to load up this week with the food and hopefully hit some big PRs. Hitting 295x5 backsquat, 405x3 deadlift and 135x5 press are all big benchmarks in my mind and I will be psyched if I get them all in a few days.
 
As far as running goes, I'm going to keep monitoring my left foot. It's been nagging me and although I can run through it I know it's one of those injuries that are minor now but during the later stages of a 50 mile run may cause me some serious problems. I might not run on Tuesday/Wednesday to try and heal it up for a long run on Saturday. I logged 20 miles over 3 runs this week, and only 2 of them being scheduled. Next week I will  be in the mid 20's-30 range if all goes as planned. Contois also invited me to run another free 50k in April that I am most likely going to do. That would satisfy my 3 ultras for the year goal, but I am definitely going to do the Stone Cat 50 in October/November too.
 
I mentioned something about the challenge I was thinking about doing this summer and I'm looking for some general opinions on the idea I had. It's a pretty simple idea. I ran my first 50k in 5:50. The concept is that I will map out a 25k out and back course and start the timer. Before I can start the run I have to establish PRs in back squat, deadlift and press. The goal is to establish all 3 pr's and beat the 5:50 mark of running 50k. (So if it took me 20 minutes to get all 3 PR's, then I'd have 5:30 to run it) I could do this at Dan's because he has a barbell and will have adequate weight by summer. I think it would prove to be a fun challenge and be a good way to get a long run in. I also thought I could up it and maybe throw in something like 100 burpees between the lifts and rthe run? Any opinions are appreciated.

10 Mile Run + 3 mile run

10.2 mile run, a 5 mile out and back with Bryan. First 5 miles at a comfortable pace (but hitting lots of steep hills), then crank it home AFAP from the turn around. 1:28 min for an 8:48 pace. It was 47 minutes (~9:20 miles) to the turn around and I got home in 41 (~8:15 miles)

Went on another 3 mile run at 9:00pm to blow off some steam. No pace or anything just logging it for total mile reasons


COMMENTS

• General: Good run today and Bryan really held his own for not being a consistent runner. We hit a lot of hills at Wheeler, the entire Brigham hill, and Oak street which made for a fun but challenging workout. I felt like I was going a lot faster on my way home but I attribute Brigham hill to my slower pace and the deadly winds that were literally holding me back the last mile. It was one of those runs that you love because you feel good the whole time. Very pleased in general.
• Nutrition: Ate some junk, had 2 beers
• Body: Felt good today
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: Rest day tomorrow. EDIT: Change of plans. Going to hit up the weights this week and try to set some PRs on my lifts then deload next week and test maxes the week after that.

Bench Press, Box Squat, Curls

Bench Press 3-3-3-5-5
175, 180, 185, 165, 165

1x Max Reps: 11 (couldn't go to failure, was likely good for 1 more)

Box Squat 3-3-3-3-3
275
295
305
315
325

Barbell Curls: 5x5x95#, Max reps from 85-45# stripping 10# after each fail

COMMENTS

• General: Pretty good day. The low amounts of food are probably the reason I couldn't PR on bench. I've noticed a significant gain in size and definition in my arms over the last few weeks, although they still have a while to go. I'm pleased that is improving though. I felt pretty lean today as well.
• Nutrition: I cheated after dinner with some ice cream, cereal and raisinets. Didn't eat much at all today before that which was probably why I cheated.
• Body: Felt really run down all day.
• Sleep: 8.5 hours
• Reflections: Eh, another cheat but what can I say. I'll burn it all off on my run tomorrow and move on with my life. Me and Bryan will be going for a 10 mile run tomorrow in the AM before I have work. I may choose to workout again after work but we'll see how I feel.

Rest Day

1 hour walk in the AM, otherwise no training

COMMENTS

• General: Nice walk on a 18 hour fast which led me to devour breakfast shortly after. Felt good to do very little today.
• Nutrition: Good, 5 days strict. 18 hour total fast from 4:30pm yesterday to 10:30 this morning.
• Body: Lower back was pretty sore but I felt pretty good otherwise, just really tired.
• Sleep: 7 hours, then 3 more hours. I had to get up at 5 to drive my dad to the hospital for surgery, got home 90 min later and went back to sleep for 3 more hours
• Reflections: I'll probably eat a huge breakfast tomorrow so my training session doesn't suffer. I'm looking forward to a bench PR attempt tomorrow. Still not sure what I'm doing Saturday but me and Bryan will be doing at least an hour run in the morning for sure. May do something else or go for a longer run than that.

Run, Deadlift, Pullups

5am

Run 67 minutes covering 7.4 total miles on the roads. We ran Fartlek style for 2-3 miles as a group (3 of us)where we alternated turns sprinting for 5 seconds randomly. Averaged just under 9 minute miles
_____

Deadlift 3-3-3
385
395
405 (F)

10x225#, fast reps looking to build explosive power with perfect form


"Death by Strict Pullups" 1 pullup the first minute, 2 the second.... until failure:
8 rounds + 7 pullups (43 total strict pullups)


COMMENTS

• General: I really liked doing that new type of running today. It was a fun way to train. I will definitely do that again on my Wednesday runs. I ran on an empty stomach this morning with no problems. I knew before I went into the second training session it was a slim chance I'd hit 405. My legs and back were taxed from all the cleans (the maxing mostly) yesterday and the run this morning. I barely got 395# but I did so I am OK with the miss and will hopefully hit it next week. I planned to do more than the pullup WOD but I hurt my right pectoral doing them so I decided to play it safe and call it a day after that. It feels better now so hopefully it's nothing big.
• Nutrition: Strict day 4. Fasting through breakfast tomorrow with a 1 hour walk in the AM.
• Body: Back, legs and shoulders are sore. In general I don't feel 100% rested because of bad sleep and less eating.
• Sleep: 5-6 hours + 45 minute nap
• Reflections: Not the best training day but hopefully a rest day will make me feel better for Friday. I probably won't be long running this weekend for more than 1-2 hours because my foot has been bothering me and I'm trying to eat less food right now. I may choose to not even run and just do something else to work on my goals.

Power Cleans Galore

1 Power Clean on the minute for 15 minutes:
155,175,185,195,205(F),205,210,215(F),215,220(F),220(F),205(F),205,215(F), 215

215 was my highest(10# PR)

____
3 rounds of "The Chief" scaled up to 155#

AMRAP 3, with 1 minute rest in between each round
3 155# Power Cleans
6 Pushups
9 Squats

1. 5 rounds
2. 4 rounds + 1 pc
3. 4 rounds + 3 pc
___
Tabata Run, 20:10x8 on speed 9 with 8% grade
.575 miles covered

COMMENTS

• General: 10# off my 2011 goal for powerclean. This is the 2nd time I've done the on the minute workout, and a 10# PR from when I did it in December. I think "The Chief" was a lot better of a workout with the weight scaled up and I will probably do it at that weight from now on. The tabata run was good, except I feel like I should've gone faster (I just followed the directions on CFE about 0-30 seconds off best 5k pace). The 8% grade change was definitely humbling on my calves.
• Nutrition: Good, day 3 strict
• Body: Overall I feel good except my squat muscles are a bit sore.
• Sleep: 9 hours
• Reflections: I may have thought of my summer challenge if I don't sign up for an ultra. It's a really cool idea that I'll post more information about in a few days.. Looking forward to a 405x3 deadlift attempt tomorrow.

Squat, Press, Dips, Curls, Core

Squat 5-5-5
265
275
285 (PR)

Press 5-5-5
125
130
135 *On the 5th rep, I accidentally dipped with my right knee really slightly while catching my balance. I can't with a good conscience call it a legit rep so I can't call it a PR. I'll probably look to hit 135 on my 2nd set next week and go from there.

1x Max Reps 95# Press- 14 (PR)


Max Rep Dips * (Note: I changed the direction I go on the V shaped dip bar, making them harder. My numbers are down this week because of that)
8,7,5

Barbell Curls 3x5x90#, 3x10+x70#

75 4-Count Flutter Kicks Not Timed


HSPU practice: 3 sets of 10 doing modified handstand pushups off the back of my couch

COMMENTS

• General: Unfortunate what happened with the press PR but I can only take it in stride. Another 10 pound PR on squat for this week but I think next week could be very challenging to hit 295. I've continued to go up 1 rep a week on the high rep set, and once I hit 18-21 I will probably test my Fran time. Good to see me stick to the plan and do my dreaded HSPU practice.
• Nutrition: Strict day 2. For now I'm implementing a new strategy by eating in more of a food window. I work 4 nights a week anyway at 5:30pm-ish so I will stop eating all food for the day around 5-6pm, 7 days a week. I'm hoping this helps me lean out a bit. Also going to cut back my fruit consumption to bare minimum on non-running days.
• Body: Felt good today. My elbows kind of tweaked a bit so I may not do the powerclean workout I have planned for tomorrow.
• Sleep: 7.5 hours
• Reflections: Good day overall and I'm looking forward to what I have planned for tomorrow.

Rest Day

No training

COMMENTS

• General: Nice day off. I'm pumped for a week of big PRs.
• Nutrition: Good. Strict day 1
• Body: Ankles are pretty sore today. My left one actually hurts on top of the soreness. Should be OK though. Everything else is OK
• Sleep: 9 hours plus 1.5 hour nap
• Reflecitons: Not sure whether or not I will but I may just decide to do 3 more weeks of my template then taper for the race and test 1 rm's after it's over. I feel like I should keep going with the roll I'm on and not risk having to reset a lot after. Hoping for a nice squat PR tomorrow and a 135x5 press would be hot.

Week in Review (2/7-2/13)

Highlight of the week:
395x3 Deadlift
90 Second PR on Grace

Low Point of the week:
Feeling sick during my first weekend long run and having to stop prematurely

PR's: (7)
275x5 Back Squat
130x5 Press
13 reps at 95# Press
10 Bar Dips
"Grace" in 3:53
395x5 Deadlift
185x3 Bench Press

Things I Said I'd Do, and Did:
- No Injuries
- 3 hours of running on Saturday
- Improved Sleep
- PR's in all the main lifts (squat, press, DL)

Things I Didn't Do:
- Eat strict all week (5 out of 7 days)
- Any form of extra recovery techniques

Goals For Next Week:
- No paleo deviations
- Primal walk for 2 cumulative hours
- Fast at least once
- Run "Fartlek" style for the first time on Wednesday
- Hit 405x3 Deadlift
- 3-4 hour run on Saturday

OTHER COMMENTS:
Considering I changed my diet up considerably last week, it was great to see the number of PRs for the week increase and not any lagging effects that sometimes can happen. I wish I didn't cheat, because 12 days strict was the farthest I've gone in a while. I can only take it in stride and improve upon it this week by staying on top of it. I covered about 19 miles total this week in training which is very low for someone typically training for ultras, but is the highest total since the week of the 50k for me. I can't wait for the trails to melt so I can start logging miles somewhere other than on the roads.

Looking ahead, I'm really going to try to dial in my nutrition over the next couple weeks. Plain and simple, I want to get skinnier. I think it will help significantly with my running, along with my ultimate goal of being healthy. I plan to start this week on my push for leanness but eating a lot less fruit, primal walking for 2 hours throughout the week and also some IF. The next week of training is going to be similar to previous weeks, but I will have some changes to keep things fresh. I only have one more week after this one of high intensity training on this programming before I dial it back a bit to test my 1rm's and make final preparations for the NJ ultra festival.

On top of my training this week I am going to continue to look at possible ultras. Although I am still looking for what my summer training will be focused around, I started looking at possible 100 mile races for 2012 and have compiled a list of three potential races so far. More information on those as they come. I'm planning on running my first 100 sometime between April-August of 2012.

Several Cases of the Runs......

Today I did 2 Runs......

6am, Wheeler Rd. trails with Contois for an hour. We covered approximately 5 miles on these snowy, icy, hard packed down trails. We went back to the cars to stash some gear and took off on a little loop Contois runs in the morning that is 6.5 miles or around there according to Mapmyrun. The last hour of this run our water bottles were frozen shut, so it was a good test of running dehydrated. My total run time was 2:07.

3:30pm, My house to the wheeler Rd. trails again for 25 minutes, then back to my house on the main road. This was a 5 mile run approximately in 46:30.


COMMENTS

• General: Got to love a good pun for the title.... I didn't have any intentions of doing this today, but towards the end of the first run my stomach seized up and wouldn't stop. It got worse so I decided to call it and Contois went back on the trail to finish up his 3 hour run. I got home and felt better after about 2 hours of constantly using the bathroom (meaning I made the right call by stopping) and vowed to run again after work. I went at a lot faster pace than I thought I'd be able to sustain in the 2nd run and that was why I finished it so quickly. I also broke 100 miles for the year 2011 so far after today's distance. At my current pace, I could run over 800 miles this year. I don't know if that will happen but that's where I'm at so far.
• Nutrition: I elected today a cheat day, since I was sort of bummed I cheated last night. I've been doing a lot of research today and may look to implement some new strategies for fat loss when I go strict again tomorrow.
• Body: I feel good. My butt was kind of sore from the box squat and my lower back was sore on the run, but other than that I felt good to go.
• Sleep: 6 hours. Slept at my girlfriend's house so shitty quality. I couldn't stay asleep for more than 2 hours without waking up.
• Reflections: I love the fact that I can still crank out 9 minute miles with ease after I run over 11 miles only hours before. It shows how far I've come as a runner. I was reminiscing with my mom at dinner about how just 4 years ago a 20 minute run would leave me crippled for 2 days (kind of wish I was joking) and reaching for my inhaler for the "asthma" that I convinced myself I had... which turned out to be another syndrome called "fat as fuck". Oh the good old days. Anyway, rest day tomorrow and back to the barbell on Monday. Got a solid week of training lined up.

Box Squat, Bench Press, Other Strength Work

Box Squat 3-3-3
315
325
325

Bench Press 3-3-3-3-3
170
175
185 (PR)
185
180

2x max reps @ 135#- 11, 9


Farmer's Walk W/ Approx 250# split between the 2 handles, half in each hand. Walked approximately 75 feet twice with this weight

Barbell Bicep Curls: 3x5x 85,90,90#, then went max reps at 90, 85, 65, 45 stripping plates after failure

3x15 Back Extensions

3x40 Calf Raises w/ 60# KB's in each hand


COMMENTS

• General: Box squat was interesting to say the least. I like it and will be keeping it as long as it doesn't affect my first squat of the week. I think it will help to do right before long runs to condition my legs. The only thing I didn't like was my left knee kind of hurt from the drive up, but I can probably fix that with form. The bench PR was a good way to finish off my strength training for the week. I like the farmer's walk, but I don't really know how to measure progress, which limits their use for me. I probably won't do them every week but it'll be nice to have in my arsenal when I do want to do them.
• Nutrition: Ended up cheating today. Streak broken at 12
• Body: Shoulders are fatigued, and my hip flexors and hamstrings were still pretty tired but I feel good overall.
• Sleep: 8.5 hours
• Reflections: Going for a 3 hour run tomorrow morning with Contois at 6am. Hopefully can get in a good run to cap off a solid week of training. I have to work this weekend at lame times, so my sleep may be screwed up for the next few days.

Rest Day

No training

Today I sent my mom a list of ultras that would be possible this summer. She wanted it so we could potentially plan a few days off around that area to go visit relatives or something. Figured I'd post it here to show readers which ultras I'm considering.



I realize I didn't put the names, but the ones in bold are the ones I'd choose if it was my decision alone. If I had to narrow it down to 1-2 I would like to either do the Mahlon Mayhem 100k or the Cactoctin 50k in MD which looks really hard. If anyone has any other suggestions for late may through the end of august, let me know.



COMMENTS

• General: My training is supposed to be about earning rest days, and today was no exception. I hate resting when I don't feel like I need it, but I'm very susceptible to overtraining... my body has a very fine line between pushing it and going overboard. Very well deserved based on the last couple days of training that have left me pretty drained.
• Nutrition: Good, day 11. Finished my fast at 18 hours.
• Body: Shoulders, hip flexors, hamstrings, abs, obliques, lower back all really sore.
• Sleep: 8.5 hours
• Reflections: Looking forward to box squatting tomorrow, hopefully setting a PR on the bench press and trying out farmer's walks for the first time. Going to be a fun weekend with a good run Saturday morning.

Deadlift, Pullups, Asst Work, Run

Early AM:

Deadlift 3-3-3
375
385
395 (PR)

1x20 @ 225# (focused on good reps with a quick pull, not trying to max)

Strict Pullups, First 2 sets overhand last 3 on grip bars with palms facing in:
8, 7, 5, 4, 5

- 3x15 GHD Sit ups
- 3 Slow let downs from the top of a pullup bar, averaged about 8-10 seconds per hold
- Max Rep Pushups: 32

--------
Afternoon:

30 Minute Run on Roads @85% pace, picked it up and slowed down gradually throughout



COMMENTS:

• General: Awesome way to end the last 3 days with a 395x3 pull. I'm re-incorporating high rep sets but instead of maxing each week (and taxing myself way too much to recover) I will be slowly going up in weight but focusing on explosive, perfect form pulls. I have a feeling my luck will run out on these 10#/week jumps sooner rather than later and I want to start finding other methods to make gains, so I'm testing out this type of high rep max. The pullups didn't go up because my body was simply too taxed. The run felt good but my body just wanted to rest so I kept it short but still went at a good pace.
• Nutrition: Good, strict day 10. In the process of a 19 hour fast that I started today at 2:30pm, and will end when I wake up tomorrow (around 8:30-9pm)
• Body: Absolutely shot. My legs are toast from yesterdays sprints, especially my hamstrings and hip flexors. My shoulders are absolutely blown up from all the overhead in Grace yesterday. My body definitely wasn't used to that. Pile on today's deadlift and GHD's and I'll be a walking billboard for ibuprofen tomorrow.
• Sleep: 6.5 hours
• Reflections: Couple things:

- As of now, my plan is to do 2 more week long cycles of my program, then take a light week at 75-80% and re-test my 1RM's the week before my 50 mile race. Likely towards the end of the week (explained in next bullet). The week of the race I will try to get my 3 most important lifts in on Monday and Tuesday and then taper the rest of the week.
- The above lines up well with my running plan to finalize preparation for the NJ Ultra festival. Saturday, March 5 will be the saturday of my light lift week, where I will do a 6+ hour run with Contois. This will be my "big run" and will lead right into my week of 1 rep max testing. The weeks prior to this date will include a 3 and two 3-4 hour runs on Saturday mornings. Hopefully the trails melt so I don't go crazy in the process.
- After the race concludes I'm going to re-evaluate where I'm headed over the next few months. I can say I've been looking for an ultra to do this summer and have a few in mind, but I don't know which or even if I'll do one. I know I'll be doing the Stone Cat 50 in November, but I need something to train for closer or I'll lose motivation. It looks like I could run 5 ultra distances this year if I end up pacing Contois in his 100 miler in the fall.

Gettin' Explosive

8 Total Sprints, Wearing the VFF Kso Sprints

5 of ~75m hill sprints, 30-40 degree angle (hilltop)
3 ~110 yard sprints on street next to it, flat ground


"Grace"
30 Power Clean and Jerks @ 135# For Time:
3:53 (PR) (old time was 5:35)

5 Rds, Not Timed but emphasizing perfect form for each rep:
10 50# KB Swings
10 Burpees

COMMENTS

• General: For the first time doing sprints in months they were a welcomed change. I think those might become a staple once a week instead of/alternating with high intensity CFE-style work outs. The PR on Grace was huge. I haven't even touched that workout for well over a year and I smoked it. For the first time in my life I don't really remember anything after the 10th rep of the work out though. I normally remember the entire thing and can go back to old work outs that I did 2 years ago and pick out key things, but I don't remember much at all from today's.
• Nutrition: Good, strict day 9
• Body: Back is feeling better. Girlfriend has been working deep tissue on it (thank you!) and it's been loosening up. I'm pretty sure I'll deadlift tomorrow.
• Sleep: 9.5 hours
• Reflections: Great day today. Tomorrow will make or break this cycle because if I hit 395x3 deadlift I will be one of the happiest people in the world for the rest of the day. Just hope my back feels good when I wake up (of course I get to wake up at 5:30, joy!) and I'll let the cards fall as they may.

Squat, Press, Dips, Asst Work

Back Squat 5-5-5
255
265
275 (PR)

Press 5-5-5
120
125
130 (PR)

1x Max Reps @95# for 13 reps (PR)

3x Max Bar Dips
10 (PR)
9
6


ASST WORK:

Barbell Curl: 10x75#, 2x5x85#, then walked the rack from 35 to 20# dumbbells

DB Shoulder Press: 1x5x45# DB's
DB Shoulder Flies: 1x7x17.5# DB's

COMMENTS

• General: I'm pretty sure you can't have a better realistic training day than 4 PR's, so needless to say I was thrilled with today's training session. Once again the squat felt hard but not like a max, so I think I'll make another 10# jump next week. The press was a close call but I got it and would be ecstatic with a 5x135# jump next week. The high rep was a PR by one from last week, which is still progress. I pr'ed on dips by 2 reps. I had been thinking about upping the sets from 3 to 5 for dips, but I don't see the point if I continue to make gains like I have been.
• Nutrition: Good, strict day 8. I have noticed myself a lot leaner but I think if I'm going to get where I want to be it will take some other add-ons like walks, fasting, and ketosis. Not sure when I'll go for this because I don't want to sacrifice strength gains with the role I'm on now. Likely would be after my 50 miler in March where I did something like that.
• Body: My back hurt at the beginning of the squat session but once I warmed up it was OK. I'm about 50/50 on whether or not I'll be OK to go on Wednesday. If I don't think I'm good I will probably switch my bench and box squat day to Wednesday so I don't miss deadlifts this week.
• Sleep: 7.5 hours
• Reflections: I did barbell curls for the first time today and I think I'll stick with those. It's easier to measure my progress on them and I feel like I'm accomplishing more by making weight jumps instead of just getting the bicep pump. I know they will help with all my upper body lifts anyway. Safe to say my program is working very well and I'm very happy with how it's going, but I may switch around some of the stuff in a week or two to accomodate my schedule. I'll update that as I go. Another thing I wrote down was I might start doing my dips/pullups with shorter rest every couple weeks to keep things interesting. One thing I need to start doing more is my HSPU practice, which I keep writing down in my notebook but neglecting.

Rest Day

No training

COMMENTS

• General: Nice day off. Didn't do a whole lot.
• Nutrition: Good. 7 days strict
• Body: Good, back is feeling sore but still better
• Sleep: 8.5 hrs
• Reflections: Right now I'm reading Dan John's "Never Let Go". I just started it and so far it's an awesome book. I'll probably use some of his ideas in my programming once I read it through. Ready for a solid week of barbells and running. Props to the Packers on their superbowl win tonight!

Week In Review 1/31-2/6

Highlight of the week:
385x3 Deadlift PR

Low Point of the week:
Hurting my back during the deadlift session

PR's:
5x265 Squat
5x125 Press
3x385 Deadlift
11 Deadhang Pullups
3x180 Bench Press

Things I Said I'd Do, and Did:
- Knocked out 7 days in a row of healthy eating
- Did 3 runs throughout the week
- Planned my work outs accordingly
Things I Didn't Do:
- 7 Mwods
- Sleep Enough


Goals For Next Week:
- 7 More Days of Strict Eating. Can deviate during Saturday's long run only.
- Sleep better
- PR in the 3 main lifts (squat, DL, Press)
- No injuries!
- Run at least 3 hours on Saturday

OTHER COMMENTS:
This week went well minus me hurting my back. I'm finally starting to constantly PR again and it feels so nice. I will be working towards eliminating more stress from my days this upcoming week and beyond because it always blunts my recovery. Speaking of the recovery, I think doing an ice plunge once a week would be a nice addition to my overall recovery abilities.

Thinking forward I need to be more creative on my Crossfit metcons, and more consistent on my Mobility wods. I don't think it's realistic to say I'll do one everyday so I will try to do them as often as possible. Next weekend I need to run at least 3 hours. I also need to make it to the 2nd squat day and get all those sets done on box squat so I can start progressing on that as well.

In general, a good week. Ready for a fresh start tomorrow.

Long Run

~14 mile run on the roads around Grafton, covering "my loop" that I used to run when I ran on the roads frequently. 2 hours, 17 minutes total, which made for a 9:57/mile pace

This is an image of the course I ran today. Some good hills mixed throughout.

COMMENTS

• General: Good run today even though it was on the roads. It's nice that after I run 14 miles I can just go on with my day and not have any soreness or anything really bothering me. I worked 6 hours right after and had no pain all day. My plan was to not push for time as my PR on this course is like 1:55, but more to get on my feet for longer and see how that feels. I need to definitely pick up the pace quickly and add a minimum of an hour to each run on for the next couple weekends to ensure I'll be ready for the 50.
• Nutrition: Good. I had a goo and 1/2 a clif bar during my run (decided not to bring paleo food) but then ate strict all day. Counts as strict in my book. Day 6
• Body: Back is still sore but feels a lot better. Chest and abs are pretty sore.
• Sleep: 8 hours
• Reflections: Nice rest day tomorrow, then time to squat on Monday. Let's hope the PR's keep on coming. I would be very happy if the snow melted this week so I can trail run next weekend instead of using the roads.

Bench, Calf Raises, Core, Pushups

Bench Press 3-3-3-3-3
165
175
180(PR)
180
180

Max Reps @135- 12
____

3x40 Calf Raises w/50# KB's in both hands

3x Max Rep Pushups C2D Standard: 32, 29, 26

30:20x8 Leg Lifts, 1 drop in total

Bicep Curls 5 Sets of Max Reps with 35# DB's, then walked the rack




20 min Hot Bath, 10 minute ice plunge

COMMENTS

• General: Another day, another PR on bench. Pleased to see this going up. I couldn't box squat because of time constraints, but my back still hurt so much I couldn't have anyway. I liked the calf raises and will continue doing them once a week. I'm thinking about adding heavy farmer's walks into my Day 5 routine because we have the legit equipment at my gym and they would probably be good for all my goals. The ice plunge was the longest I've ever spent submerged and it really reduced the pain in my back for several hours.
• Nutrition: Good, 5 days strict
• Body: Back really, really hurt all day. Other than that I felt good.
• Sleep: 7 hours
• Reflections: Going long running tomorrow in the AM on the road. Hoping to crack 2-3 hours without deviating from paleo (bringing sweet potatoes with me). We'll see how it goes. I sort of feel like my day 5 routine is not strenuous enough, but I have yet to actually do the box squat because of problems both weeks. If I go through it next week with the squats too I will see how that goes and adjust from there accordingly.

Deadlift, Pullups, Asst Work

Deadlift 3-3-3
365
375
385 (PR)

5x Max Rep Pullups, Deadhang with minimal kip towards the end of the sets:
11(PR), 8, 8, 7, 5

Max Rep C2D Pushups:
38

3x15 GHD Sit Ups

4x5 Slow Pullups on the pullup assistance machine. Slowly pulled up and lowered slowly as well.

1 mile run @ 90% pace, ~6 minutes
COMMENTS

• General: Happy with the 2 PR's today, especially on deadlift. I've PRed 4 times this week in 3 training sessions, which is always motivating. I hurt my back on the last set so I need to be careful with tomorrow's training session. I think the pushups might've been a PR for the standard I set, which is great because I haven't been doing them. Clearly the dips and everything else are working well. Tomorrow I will be box squatting if my back is OK for the first time in over a year. I'm interested to see how that goes.
• Nutrition: Good, day 4
• Body: My lower back really hurts from whatever I did to it but other than that I felt pretty good today.
• Sleep: 9.5 hrs
• Reflections: Today I met a guy at my gym who trained at Westside Barbell for several years. The guy gave me some advice on my deadlift, telling me it was really solid minus the part where I was locking my knees out too quickly, making the last foot or so of the pull a stiff-leg deadlift. I worked on it for my remaining 2 sets and felt the difference, so I'm going to be conscious about that from here on out. He also told me I have the wrong belt for powerlifting and that if I get an actual powerlifting belt (run about $200) all my lifts will fly up even faster. I'm not going to get one now but I probably will in the future, like this summer. Tomorrow is a heavy day, then a run on Saturday. Looking forward to the weekend.

Rest Day

No training

COMMENTS

• General: Didn't really want to rest but I have access to basically no equipment (not even a pullup bar) and I just came off a span where I needed like 3 days off because I was going a little too hard. Probably not the best week to skip a rest day. I've got 3 days in a row coming up with a deadlift session tomorrow that I'm looking forward to.
• Nutrition: Good, strict day 3
• Body: Squat muscles were still pretty sore today but not all that bad. In general I felt pretty good but I was tired for some reason today.
• Sleep: 10 hours <3
• Reflections: Although I should've worked out today I think it was for the best that I didn't. I'm going to have to eat/sleep properly over the next few days to recover from the line up approaching. Deadlifting, squatting and long runs are a recipe for disaster if I'm not careful. I'm already feeling a lot better after 3 days of clean eating and have yet to get any carb withdrawals or anything. Looking forward to seeing how the rest of this week plays out.

Goals Training Crossfit, Long Run

5:30am

Run 52 minutes at 8:40/mile pace with Contois at Holden Rail Trail. Covered 6 miles. Would've been 3-4 minutes faster had I not had to stop and relieve myself mid trail...again -_-

7:00am

"Alternating Tabata Mashup"
Do 1 'tabata' cycle of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off but alternate throughout all 3 exercises. This makes 1 round. Do 5 rounds for total reps in each round.

95# Thruster, 50# KB Swing, Burpees

Total Reps Per Round: 26, 22, 21, 20, 20 = 109 total reps


MWOD Complete (Shoulders, Pectorals)

*Also got a 15-20 minute deep tissue massage from the girlfriend focusing on my legs and shoulders

COMMENTS

• General: The run felt good minus the pit stop I had to make mid trail. It was cold as hell this morning but invigorating to be out there nonetheless. Most wednesdays I'll probably try to do this sort of run in the AM with Contois and maybe squeak in my lift before school, but I can't guarantee it will always happen. I had to do the longer run today instead of tomorrow because of the snow storm we got which was a good call on my part. No way I could run tomorrow. My gym is closed tomorrow due to the inclement weather so instead of deadlifting I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Pretty irritating but I won't be resting so we'll see what I come up with.
• Nutrition: Good, strict day 2
• Body: My squat muscles were pretty sore today, but other than that I felt really good.
• Sleep: 6.5 hours. I'm praying classes are cancelled tomorrow so I can sleep in for 2 days in a row. I could really use it.
• Reflections: I don't really even look forward to the Crossfit days anymore which is surprising. I much prefer just lifting and getting stronger now. I'm going to probably test my Fran time two Tuesdays from now to see where I'm at. I think to make it more interesting I may try to draw from mainsite metcon's each week from the last week or so in order to keep my Crossfit days more varied. Tomorrow I'm looking at doing some short intervals (weather permitting, I won't run if there is plows and ice all over the place) and something to work on my goals hopefully.