Day 36

GOLF
 Played 18 holes in the morning.  Played terrible.  Went back in the afternoon and hit 2 large buckets.  I'm re-planing my swing.  Long story short, this is akin to rebuilding a squat or something like that.  It takes a ton of work.

Run
-42 minutes
-147 avg HR.

So I knew there were trails by my house, I just never took the time to go check them out.  These are seriously awesome and are basically mini mountains to run up and down.

The forefoot running finally clicked.  I really think it was running over the dirt and rocks that made a huge difference, instead of just landing on the hard pavement step after step.  It was like the musculature and tendons of my feet just completely relaxed.  The cool thing about minimalist shoes is your can feel all the rocks, etc below your feet.  It kind of hurts, but in a good way.  Also, you have to look down and constantly pay attention to foot placement., and a lot of the steps have to be lateral.  This really seemed to loosen up my calves, ankles and feet.  Felt good.  Heartrate stayed down.

Day 35

Hypertrophy

1.  Pendlay Row
185x8; 185x8; 185x8 (+1 rep on all sets, dropped one set)

2. RDL
225x14 (PR); 225x7 (50%)

3. Seated OH DB Press
70x5; 70x5

4a.  Super Strict Curls
65x10; 65x10

4b.  Windmills
53x3; 53x3

5.  Facepulls
30 reps

Notes
Exhausted by the time I got to the gym.  Bar studying is mentally draining for me, which in turn, leaves me feeling physically weak.  I have to be 100% "on" all day long. I've been getting good sleep and eating well though, so that has been helpful. But even so, all the physical activity is catching up with me a bit.  Its fun, but I need a few rest days soon.

I grinded out the row and RDL stuff, and then dropped reps and volume on everything else.   RDL's are truly starting to feel grooved after months and months of attention.  On the other hand, I'm completely stunned at how fucking hard it is for me to progress with Pendlay rows.  Back exercises have also been my strongest lifts.  I'm beginning to think it is probably an exercise that is more effective in the 3-5 rep range.  And also, I lifted like a douche for years. Nonetheless, I'm going to keep trucking until I hit 10 reps across the board.

Day 34

Conditioning

1a.  Pullups
5; 5

1b. Dips
10; 10

1c. Hypers
15; 15

1d. Decline Leg Lowers
8; 6

2.  Stair Stepper
-30 minutes
-2.37 miles (+.26 miles)
-Avg HR 168
-Peak HR 178

GOLF
Hit a medium bucket.  Almost all driver.  Vast improvements. Vids later.

Notes
Good little BW circuit before the stair stepper tonight. Made me feel light and springy.  Cardio continues to improve.  My shirt was completely drenched in sweat when I got off the stepper machine.

Day 33

Conditioning

1.  Treadmill
1 mile at 8 min pace (174 Peak HR)
1/4 mile slow jog
1/2 mile 9 Percent incline (183 Peak HR)
1/4 mile slow jog

Time: 22 minutes

2a. Hyperextension
BWx20; BWx20

2b. Roman Chair Raises
BWx10; BWx10

Notes
Raining out so I ran on the treadmill.  I decided to change it up and run 1 mile at a fast pace (for me), and then 1 mile at a very steep incline.  The incline was very difficult and I had to cut it short.  Tough Mudder is still up in the air - incline work is very important since it is up and down a mountain for 10-12 miles.

Did some pump core shit stuff my glutes were sore as hell today.  I love it.  Sore glutes from deadlifting and OH pressing makes me happy.  Obviously I'm working them hard during the hinge, but I also contract them hard during presses. My ability to brace from head to toe has come a long ways.

Day 32

1. Hang Clean and Jerk
165x1; 185x1; 205x1; 225x1

2.  Deadlift
365x1; 405x1; 425x1 (88%); 425x1; 365x3; 365x3

3. Strict BTN Press
135x1; 145x1; 155x1; 165x1; 170x1 (PR); 115x14 (+2)

4.  Weight Chins
45x4; 70x2

5.  3 Month Position Pullovers
30x8; 30x8; 30x8

5a.  Decline Deadbugs
5; 5

5b.  YTI's
2 sets

Notes
One of the best sessions I've had in months.  Everything was crisp, controlled, and explosive.  I felt like a lifter.

Diet and Food Update

One goal I had last semester was to lean out.  I definitely did to some degree, but not to the extent I planned on.  The biggest reason is I just lost the motivation to get really strict on top of training and my final semester.  I was doing school work constantly, and the times where I wasn't, I was basically training nonstop.  This is not to say I ate sloppy - I never do that for more than a day or two.  But the attention to detail wasn't there, and I drank way too much alcohol way too frequently.  This is a physique killer.  Nonetheless, I managed to drop a few pounds of fat and significantly improve my conditioning and aerobic base, which just makes things that much easier now.

I asked Matt to write me a diet because I just didn't want to think about it.  I knew that most of our nutritional philosophies aligned, so it wouldn't be a huge deviation from what I am currently doing.  My only request was that I didn't want to eat breakfast.  At this point, the whole breakfast thing is more of a lifestyle choice than a decision made for body composition purposes.  I think intermittent fasting completely loses its efficacy after a couple years.  Moreover, at least in my humble opinion, the hormonal shit is basically small peanuts.  Here is the basic template:

Monday
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Beef, sweet potato and broccoli

Tuesday
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Chicken w/ Green Beans

Wed
Sausage w/ Eggs, Sliced tomatoes or peppers
Beef stir fry with veggies.  White Rice ,  Dessert of dark chocolate (optional)

Thurs
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Steak w/ sweet potato, dessert optional (Ice cream is best choice)

Fri
Hamburger w/ Eggs,  Sliced tomatoes or Peppers (optional)
Salmon w/ steamed spinach

Sat
Sausage w/ Eggs, Sliced tomatoes or peppers
Lots of meat for dinner.  Whatever looks good.  Have a beer or two, but keep carbs low otherwise.

Sun
Bacon and eggs, spinach (optional)
Haddock and green beans ,  Dessert of Greek Yogurt and fruit/berries (optional)

The biggest changes for me are carbs on a more frequent basis, and something besides red meat for dinner.  Also, no alcohol and no artificial sweeteners at all.  So far, just these two things have made a huge difference in my mood.

There is a lot more to the diet than the basic template.  For example, I can sub out salads for lunch (per certain guidelines), and I'm drinking tea with coconut oil before my golf and/or low intensity cardio sessions.  I think this is a ingenious idea for many, many reasons. So far so good.  Appetite is fine considering no snacks.

This will be my last run doing IF/Carb Cycling/Backloading type shit for a while. This is the way I've eaten for three years.  I really dialed it in last year and got great results, but I'm starting to feel I have the metabolism of a teenage girl.  I seriously do not eat a ton considering my size and activity level.  One big issue of eating like this year round, is when you want to lean out, what do you change?  There really isn't that much to move around.

After this I'm going to 3-5 meals a day for a while, including breakfast.    I'm starting to believe that nutrition should evolve and rotate just like training. Doing/Eating the same shit week after week eventually will just fizzle out.  You adapt and become efficient with what you got.  That is not to say I won't go back to IF.  I love it for a bunch of reasons, but I don't think I need to be fasting year round.

Anyways, here are some pictures of food from the last week.  I stick by his recommendations for the most part, but I add some flair for my own tastes.  I was 245 when I got back home, and now I'm sitting at 238.  3-4 pounds were by myself just running/walking more, and 2-3 pounds were from this diet (8 days in).  I want to get lower than last time (229), so that I can work to reset my bodyfat again, but this time even lower.

In the past year, I've really morphed my food intake to more "nutritional" choices.  IE, food that is good for me.  I feel great.  I rarely have low energy, almost never have bad training days, and can't remember the last time I was sick.  Maybe its the food, maybe its a coincidence, but it does make me feel good.

Day 31

Golf
-18 holes
-81, Bretwood North (Golds)

Notes
Played great today.  Two mistakes on the back costed me 2 double bogeys and really hurt my score.  It was  shame because I was playing well.  My scores are starting to creep down .  Hopefully I'll be in the 70s by next weekend.

All in all, a solid week of exercise and golf.  I'm a little tired, legs are aching a bit, but I feel good.  Next week, I need to get in at least two long and slow cardio sessions.

Day 30

Golf
-18 holes
-83, Bretwood South (Golds)

Notes
Meh, never found a rhythm.  Putting was solid.

Day 29

Conditioning

12 Rounds:

1a. Farmers Walks
120lbs per hand x 40 yards

1b.  Tire Pull
60 yards

-29 minutes
-512 calories
-Avg HR 159
-Peak HR 177

Golf
-9 holes, Bretwood South
-Three Over, 14 putts.

Notes
Excellent conditioning session followed by a solid day at the course. Conditioning was basically HIIT, although I didn't fall over in agony like a crossfit douche.  Farmers walks felt stable, upright, scapula back, etc.  Overall, a significantly higher avg HR than normal loaded conditioning sessions, but its about time to bump it up.  I'm much stronger aerobically than I was a few months ago.

Day 28

Mass Day

1. Pendlay Row
185x7; 185x7; 185x7; 185x7 (+1 on all sets)

2.  RDL
225x12 (+2); 225x6 (50% set); 135x15

3. Seated DB Press
70x9 (+1, PR); 70x4 (50% set)

4.  Strict BB Curl
65x12; 65x12; 65x8

5a.  Suitcase DL
155x3; 155x3; 155x3 (+20 lbs)

5b. Windmill
53x4; 53x4; 53x4

5c. Facepulls
80x20; 80x20; 80x20 (+5 lbs)

6a, 6b, 6c:  2 rounds of leg raises; hypers, and calve raises

Notes
Off to a slow start but ended up decent.  Bumped up weight and reps on most stuff. I still find Pendlays to be hard as hell.  I'm really working on hammering my core each session.  I want it to become a strong point.

Day 27

Jog/Run
-3.5 miles
-40 minutes
-Avg HR140

Golf
-8 holes, +5

Notes
Calves were screaming during the run. They are sore as hell today.  I walked for about 30 seconds 3-4 times. I'm starting to get a little miffed at the forefoot running.  I guess I just expected a "switch" at some point.  I need to be jogging with more frequency, but its just hard to fit everything in.

Day 26

Strength/Power

1. Power Clean and Jerk
185x1; 185x1; 185x1; 185x1; 185x1

2. Hang Clean and Jerk
185x1; 225x1 (PR)

3.  Deadlift
370x1; 395x1; 405x1; 405x1; 405x1; 335x3; 335x3; 335x3
(78%), (83%), (85%), (70% back-offs)

4.  BTN Jerk
135x3; 185x1; 185x1; 185x1; 185x1

5.  BTN Press
135x1; 145x1; 155x1; 165x1; 115x12 (AMAP +2)
(singles same as DL %'s) (AMAP remains at 60%)

6.  Chins
BWx6; 45x3; 35x3

7. 3 Month Position Pullover
25x8; 25x8; 25x8

8a. Decline Deadbugs
2x5

8b. YTIs
2x5/5/5

Notes
Crisp session.  Matt said my cleans looked "athletic."  I'm not sure if he was joking, but if he wasn't, thats a good sign. Again, I'm just doing these to keep a groove.  I cannot really go up in weight without bumpers.  Matt also said the deadlifts look really good. He knows everything I'm doing so knows what it should look like.

I kinda feel like I need more volume for the BTN presses, but I'll just go with it as prescribed by the Strong-15 (for bench).  One minor change - I'm keeping the AMAP at 60% until I can bang out solid 20 reps at 115.

The Robertson Pullover remains my new favorite exercise.  I love it for so many reasons.  It gives a great lat stretch, improves shoulder mobility, hits the abs hard, and allows me to practice breathing in an overhead position.  The coolest part however, is the bench gives you feedback on spine neutrality when you are in the most stretched overhead position possible. I just think its a great movement.

Day 25

Golf
-27 total holes
-84 first 18 holes, +4 on the final 9 holes

Notes
Really fun day on the course.  I played  much better than my score, but its still early in the season for me.  Putting is much improved. I'm scoring high right now because I just have hugely errant shots.  No groove as of yet.  My old handicap is still in the system from 2010.  I was a 4, and its already trending to 6 haha.  Oh well.

I'm so happy to come back to NH and play at Bretwood.  36 holes with each 18 playing around 7000 yards.  We always play from the tips.  Its good golf and a good challenge.  I like the exercise as well.  18 holes is 5-6 miles.  So 27 means I was out walking for about 6.5 continuous hours today.  If my heart rate monitor is correct (based on 9 holes), that is a 3000 calorie burn.  Time to really clean the diet up and take advantage of this activity level.

Lifting is on the back burner for the summer.  Two days a week just to maintain muscle and strength.  Hopefully, I can get a nice press and some sort of deadift PR since those are the only things I'm focusing on.

Day 24

Golf
-18 holes
-85

Notes
Skipped the morning conditioning session I had planned because I was exhausted when I woke up Saturday morning.  Walking 18 holes is plenty of exercise for one day (5-6 miles with 20lb bag).

Day 23

Cardio

Stairstepper
-30 minutes
-2.1 miles
-486 calories

Abz: 3 Month Position Pullover
-20x8; 20x8; 20x8

Golf
-9 holes
-+5
-1096 calories

Notes
Long day and long week.  Tough Mudder is still up in the air, but I've recently learned that it is on a mountain.  So, I'm going to split my low intensity cardio between jogs and stair stepper.  Two days to each if I can.  One thing that I'm taking into consideration is all of the walking with a golf bag.  18 holes is easily 5-6 miles.  So, I'm keeping that in my mind in terms of recovery, etc.

Looooooooove the pullover, as described in Mike Robertson's latest article.  The stretch feels amazing, and I was really surprised at how hard my abs were working. I love these type of core exercises. Improving shoulder

Day 22

1. RDL
185x5; 185x5; 225x10; 225x5 (50%)

2.  DB Press
85x4; 70x8 (PR); 70x4 (50%)

3. Pendlay Row
185x6; 185x6; 185x6; 185x6

4.  BB Curl
Barx20; Barx20; Barx20

5a.  Suitcase Deadlift
135x4; 135x4; 135x4

5b.  Facepulls
70x20; 70x20; 70x20

5c.  Windmill
53x3; 53x3; 53x3

Notes
Solid session.  I'm utilizing the Big-15 for mass day from here on.  So Monday is strength/power utilizing the Strong-15, and Thursday is hyptertrophy utilizing the Big-15.   The Big-15 is essentially this:

40% x 5

50% x 4

60% x 3

75% x 2

85% x 1

70-77% x AMAP + 50% set

The only problem I have with this is DB OH press and RDL aren't really conducive to the overload sets. I'm thinking I may re-arrange this day so that I start with Pendlay rows.  Then I use the Big-15 for Pendlay and DB press, and then do RDL for reps. I like that because the Pendlay were very hard today after pre-exhausting with the RDLs.

Day 21

Run
-2.5 miles
-26 minutes
-Avg HR: 149
-448 calories

Golf
+4 through 12 holes

Notes
Run felt solid, stride is improving.  I'm starting to feel lighter on my feet.  An interesting development: the top of my foot fucking kills.  This is a common injury to new "barefoot" runners. Essentially instead of lengthening during the stride, the calve contracts.  This places new stress on the foot extensors (bony muscles/tendon on top of your foot that connects to your toes).  So its either tendonitis or tendonosis.   If its the latter, I'm going to fucking give up on exercise.  And according to what I've read, tendonosis is more likely.

Day 20

Golf

-9 holes in the Rain.  Score so bad its not even worth mentioning.

Strength

A-Day

1. Hang Clean and Jerk

185x1; 185x1; 185x1; 185x1; 185x1

2.  Deadlift

355x1; 370x1; 395x1; 315x3; 315x3; 315x3 

(75%); (78%);(83%); (60% back offs)

3. Behind the Neck Press

135x1; 145x1; 155x1 (same percents as above); 115x10 (AMAP)

4.  Chins

6; 6

5.  Decline Deadbugs

8; 8; 8

6.  YTI's

Notes
I'm slightly modifying my power day to include deadlifts and strict BTN.  Both of these lifts fall in line with my pull/press emphasis.  Rumor has it the gym is getting bumper plates, so we'll see.  In the meantime, I just want to keep some of the movements grooved.

I'm running the Strong-15 short cycle for deadlift and BTN press.  I used conservative maxes - 475 dead and 185 BTN.  I'm doing the short cycle because its 5 weeks and something I can affirmatively commit to.  

Day 19

45 Minute Walk

1 Mile Jog

Notes
Got some light trail walking in and then finished with a 1 mile jog in the minimalist.  Feeling better.  Burned more calories in the 10 minute jog than the walk.

Day 18

Conditioning

6 Rounds

1a.  60 yard prowler sprint

1b.  70lb KB Swing x 15

Notes
Did this with my GF and little sister.  We were running around before my graduation party, and literally had 20 minutes to workout.  Anyways, hadn't done any threshold stuff for a while.  Did not feel good haha.

Day 17

B-Day

1. Trap Bar Deadlift

315x5; 315x5; 315x5

2.  Seated DB Press

70x8 (PR); 70x8; 55x8

3.Pendlay Row

190x5; 190x5; 190x5 (+5lbs)

4a.  Curls

95x6; 95x6

4b. Facepulls

70x20; 70x20

5.  Suitcase Deadlift

135x3; 135x3; 135x3

Notes

Everything went decent until I got into the car.  Knee hurt.  So I guess trap bars are out.  I hinge them the best I can, but I need some knee extension to get all the way down to the bar.  The odd thing is, straight bar pulls didn't bother me on Monday.

DB Press is getting hard for me.  Still not grooved, but at least the weight is going up.

Day 16

9 Holes Brettwood South
-41
-One birdie, two bogies, two doubles

Notes
Hit the ball fairly well and putted better than a couple days ago.  Two bad shots (causing the doubles) kept me from a decent round.

Day 15

Lunch time:
1.5 Mile Jog
~15 minutes
-141 avg heartrate
-225 calories

Evening
-walked 6 holes of golf

Notes
Calves are sore as hell.  My stride was a little better on the jog today.  A little less on my toes, and a little more of an even impact across my foot.  I think this is better for a jog, whereas a run seems more conducive to a forefoot roll.  At least for me.  I'll keep working on it.  Its insane how sore this is making me, but I think its the right thing to do in the long run.

Joined the golf club today.  $1100.  Hope I play better the rest of the summer than I did tonight.

Day 14

1.  High Pulls and Cleans
Blah... see below

2.  BTN Split Jerks
135x3; 135x3; 185x3; 205x3

3.  Deadlifts (Conventional)
365x2; 405x2; 405x2; 405x2; 455x1; 365x5; 365x10

4a.  Face pulls
3 sets

4b.  YTI's
3 sets

5.  Ab Wheel
3; 3

Notes
Met my old training partner Chris for clean and jerks.  Long story short, we have fundamental differences regarding training philosophies these days.  He doesn't understand the shit I've been doing for the better part of a year, and I didn't do a very good job explaining it.

Whatever happens, I'm not falling back into a bunch of powerlifting stuff right now.  I don't want to do it.  I'll keep working on my overhead shit.  Also considering doing a Tough Mudder in August.  I plan on being physically active for decades  to come.  There is a long time to lift heavy shit.  I'm currently in no rush.

One cool thing during deadlifts - the number one body part I felt working was my glutes.  They were fried.  Made me happy.

Day 13

Strength and Conditioning

1.  BTN Split Jerks

135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 185x2; 185x2; 225x1; 225x1; 225x1

2. Farmers walks

6 walks:

130 per hand x 50 yards.

3.  Tire Flips

~400 lb tire

7; 7; 7; 7; 7

4.  Pull-Downs

100x12; 100x12; 100x12; 100x12

5.  One Mile Jog

11:20 Seconds

Notes

Just planned on some conditioning today, but I threw in some split jerks to warm-up.  I felt more comfortable dropping the weight onto my back from the lock-out today.  Its still kind of scary and takes a lot of bar control.

Got to use actual farmers bars today.  I was slightly disappointed.  I thought they would be 2x as easy, but not really.  I just felt weak today.  Same with tire flips.  Felt weak.  

The jog.  I've been wearing minimalist shoes since about February.  I have a pair for indoor training, and a pair for conditioning, and walking, etc.  Both are zero drop New Balance.  I think just wearing them for all physical activity has been a great help.  My calves used to be tight as fuck.  Not so much anymore. For a number of reasons, I haven't been running yet.  Its kind of a big commitment to start running in zero drop shoes.  The stride is completely different.  Normal running shoes are completely ridiculous when  you think about it.  It changes the mechanical function of the foot, ankle, knee, etc.  Dumb.

It takes about 2 minutes of googling to see minimalist running is far superior to huge cushioned soles from a movement/efficiency standpoint.  It just takes a LONG time to ease into this shit.  Anyways, I'm going to start jogging/running 2-3x a week like I do every year because it feels good and I want to be able to move well.

Day 12

Strength/Hypertophy B Day

1.  DB Press
65x8; 65x8; 65x8

2. Pendlay Row
185x5; 185x5; 185x5

3.  BTN Split Jerks
135x3; 135x3; 135x3; 135x3

4.  BTN Press
135x3; 135x3; 135x3

5a.  Bench

5b.  Facepulls

5c.  Windmills

Conditioning

4 Rounds

1a. Prowler Push
-80 yards

1b. 1 Arm Farmer walk
-70lbs

Notes
First workout in the old NH gym.  It sucks not having bumpers.  There is no way to safely go heavy in cleans and/or jerks.  Kind of torpedos a lot of my plans for lifting, but lets be honest, I saw this coming.  Blah.