Munen Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

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TurtleBear
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Munen Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#1

Post by TurtleBear » Sun Oct 30, 2022 11:03 am

Hey everyone. I'm new to keeping a log here but have lurked around for a long time (it was recommended to me by another guy who used to post here that i used to practice with).
I am a lifter and kyokushin (karate) practiconer with a wife and kids. My training has been a mess ever since family life really started. This log is about me trying to build some long term habits and figuring out how to move forward in both disciplines (which in my brain are really one) while still being a good dad and husband.

So here we go: Day 1

Bench: (E1RM is 215)
1x185
1x195
3 Sling shot singles @ 215
Then 5 sets of 2 @ 185

Tricep extensions: Purple band
60 reps in 10 Minutes

Squats: (E1RM is 325)
1 x 295
Then
6x2 w 275.
Last edited by TurtleBear on Tue Oct 31, 2023 11:46 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Hardartery
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#2

Post by Hardartery » Sun Oct 30, 2022 2:45 pm

Welcome to the party.

MarkKO
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#3

Post by MarkKO » Sun Oct 30, 2022 6:46 pm

Welcome

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#4

Post by TurtleBear » Mon Nov 21, 2022 3:59 am

Thanks guys.

Been experimenting with some different things over the last month or so and I think I've found a day to day routine that works okay. We just recently moved so life has been really up in the air, but finally feels as though it's settled.


Today:
Z Press Giant Sets:

Round 1: (Warm up)
Chin ups x2
Z Press 8 reps @ 45lbs
8 standing plate halos (each side) 25 lbs

Round 2:
Chin ups x 1
Z Press 8 reps @ 55lbs
8 standing plate halos (each side) 25 lbs

Round 3:
Chin ups x 2
Z Press 8 Reps @ 60lbs
8 standing plate halos (each side) 25 lbs

Round 4:
Chins ups x 2
Z Press 8 Reps @ 65lbs (Rpe 8ish)
8 standing plate halos

Then:
EMOM for 6 minutes
1 pull up
6 push ups
10 body squats

2.2 Mile Ruck with 55lb pack (Done in 40ish minutes)

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#5

Post by TurtleBear » Wed Feb 08, 2023 3:34 am

Well hello there, its been a minute. Lets see if I remember how to do this.

Squat w Belt:
265 x 5 @ 6.5
270 x 5 @ 7
270 x 5 @ 7

Slingshot Bench:(6-7ish?)
3 x 1 w 225

Then 10 singles with 85% which is 192.5 (Sub 7)

Then to cap it off, 5 minutes of standing tricep extension things (10 reps emom). Gonna work up to ten minutes

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#6

Post by TurtleBear » Thu Feb 09, 2023 5:17 am

2/8/2023

Deadlift:
320 x 3 @ 6

Z Press Density set
70lbs
25 total reps in 5 minutes.

2 Count Pause Squat W Belt
225 x 6 @ 7.5
225 x 6 @ 7.5
225 x 6 @ 7.5

Just easing into volume this week, soreness hasnt been too bad, but id like to keep it that way.

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#7

Post by TurtleBear » Wed Feb 15, 2023 7:09 am

2/14/2022

Just some more ramping.
Squat:
287.5 x 3 @ 7
287.5 x 3 @ 7
287.5 x 3 @ 7
287.5 x 3 @ 7
287.5 x 3 @ 7

Bench/Barbell Row Superset
147.5x 7 (Bench and Row)
147.5x 7 (Bench and Row)
147.5x 7 (Bench and Row)
147.5x 7 (Bench and Row)
147.5x 7 (Bench and Row)

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#8

Post by TurtleBear » Fri Feb 17, 2023 5:09 am

Really excited. I wrote out my first real training block in over a year last night, and did the first workout.
I'm calling it "Inferno" because all programs should have cool sounding literary illusions.

"Inferno"
Week 1 Day 1
2/16/2023

Deadlift
360 x 1 @ 8
310 x 5 @ 7
310 x 5 @ 7
310 x 5 @ 7

These went way better than what I thought. My gut had been telling me 340 to 350 for the single. 350 flew up.

Pin Bench:
140 x 4 @ 5
140 x 4 @ 5
140 x 4 @ 5
140 x 4 @ 5
140 x 4 @ 5
140 x 4 @ 5

Still getting RPE stuff calibrated. I way undershot these, they were supposed to be @ 7

Beltless Squat:
200 x 8 @ 6
200 x 8 @ 6
200 x 8 @ 6

Same story here. Were supposed to be 7 and ended up just undershooting.

A lot of this program is in the RPE 7 range. Since I seem to be tending toward undershooting initially, I think I will give myself the RPE range of "7-8" in order to err toward the right stress.

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#9

Post by TurtleBear » Sat Feb 18, 2023 5:49 pm

"Inferno"
Week 1 Day 2
2/18/2023

Squat
325 x 1 @ 7
282.5x 5 @ 7
282.5x 5 @ 7
282.5x 5 @ 7
282.5x 5 @ 7
282.5x 5 @ 7

Seated Press:
95 x 5 @ 7
95 x 5 @ 7
95 x 5 @ 7
95 x 5 @ 7
95 x 5 @ 7

Today went much better on judging RPEs again. I now have two solid examples (for my squat atleast) of an @7 to refer back to with my future workouts.

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#10

Post by TurtleBear » Tue Jul 11, 2023 3:18 am

Been a minute!

Lots of fighting, not much lifting. But we've finally got some momentum built.

"Deja vu Wave 1, Week 1, Day 1" 7/10/2023

4 Rounds:
6 DB swings: 25lbs, 25lbs, 25lbs, 25lbs
6 Deadlifts: 265, 285, 305lbs, 315lbs
15 Second Plank: 15, 15, 15, 15
Rest 90 Seconds

3 Rounds:
BB Lunges: 95lbs, 100lbs, 105lbs
Front Squats 95lbs, 100lbs, 105lbs
15 second Floor L Sit
Rest 2 minutes

10 Minute Sand bag finisher.
1-2 Sandbag over shoulders EMOM
14 Total reps with 155lb sandbag.

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#11

Post by TurtleBear » Wed Jul 12, 2023 6:01 pm

Deja Vu Wave 1, Week 1, Day 2" 7/12/2023

4 Rounds:
6 Band assisted Pull ups (Green and black band. Added a second black band on last set)
6 Seated OHP: 95,100,105,115
8 Standing Plate Halos 35lb plate

3 Rounds:
Meadows Rows: (Not sure how to weigh these) Ill just do the combine plates weight. 75, 77.5, 77.5
5 CGBP: 155, 165, 175
8 Seated Rainbows

assisted pull up and dips superset
4,4
5,5

Arm strength was a limiting factor man, so out of shape haha.

TurtleBear
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Re: Turtle Bear's Log

#12

Post by TurtleBear » Sat Aug 12, 2023 6:11 pm

8/12/2023
AM:
Jujitsu

PM:
Chin ups: 4 sets amrap 2 mins rest
4,3,3,2

Bench: (E1RM is 235)
10x2 with 187.5 (80%)

Standing Tricep Extension things 7 min emom
8,8,8,8,8,8,8

TurtleBear
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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#13

Post by TurtleBear » Fri Sep 29, 2023 4:31 pm

9/29/2023
Training has been going great! Consistency has been the best its been in years. Now to get better at logging.

Chin ups: Myo Rep Format: 4, then 2,2,1,1,1
Think Im gonna swap this particular session out with inverted rows in the coming weeks. I just dont feel like Im getting enough volume in here for the intent behind the session.

Bench
1x 217.5 (92%)
Then 25 reps with 182.5 in sets of 2-4 (77.5)

Makiwara punches (Karate stuff): 100 each side.

Standing tricep extension things:
80 reps in 8 minutes

TurtleBear
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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#14

Post by TurtleBear » Sat Sep 30, 2023 6:35 pm

9/30/2023

Short session tonight:
Pull ups: 5 variable sets 25 seconds on. 60 seconds off.
2,3,3,2,2,
Squats: 10x2 @ 285

Karate stuff:
Makiwara 100 each side
Thigh and shin conditioning.

Was hoping for a bigger session tonight but arrived home late from a family gathering. Ah well, still got something in!
On to tomorrow!

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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#15

Post by TurtleBear » Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:05 am

10/2/2023

Another short session today:

Bench Press:
11x5 @ 152.5 (66%)


This session was really good practice for this new perspective on training. I had a busy day yesterday and it was 7:15pm before I knew it (I get up at 4 am). My wife and eldest daughter were gone, and while the middle two kids were sleeping, the baby was bright eyed and awake. A few months ago I would've said "well, I guess training isn't happening today" because I couldn't stick to a preprogrammed 90 minute session.

Instead I grabbed a blanket and a baby toy, laid them out on my gym mats and knocked out this bench session in about 30 minutes. Instead of feeling like a loss, I got to close out the day feeling like I am still making progress.

Woo!

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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#16

Post by TurtleBear » Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:01 pm

10/3/2023

Warm up: 16 minutes of heavy bag work

Chins:
Amrap (5 reps)
Rest 2 mins
Then 5 minute density set: 11 reps

Deadlifts:
380x1 (RPE 8)
Then
350 for 3x2. (85%)
Was gonna do 6x2 but my back was a little chatty with me handling the relatively heavy loads. Might cycle out for 80% instead until my low back gets used to the heavier pulling again

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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#17

Post by TurtleBear » Tue Oct 10, 2023 4:35 am

10/4/2023
40 mins bike
Karate (hour long class)

10/5/2023
70 mins bike

10/9/2023
Karate (hour long class)
40 mins bike


Alright, I've had some really great consistency over the last two months or so. I'd like to pick a "project" to focus on for the next several months. It would be cool to prove to myself that these concepts can be used in order to work toward a much bigger goal. I think I am going to focus on weightloss.

When I was doing a lot of karate and fighting (before barbells), I walked around between 165 and 175 pounds. I felt pretty good and efficient at that weight. I got into Starting Strength with a friend @KringJ. We went full in and were trying to gain as much weight as possible. I bulked up to a solid 190lbs and felt great there as well. I was way stronger, and I was still pretty efficient and mobile in the ring. But unfortunately, the SS mode of eating ingrained a bunch of bad eating habits and here I am 6 years later at 220lbs.

In sparring yesterday, I really noticed how much my weight was in the way. I am not as fast or as explosive as I want to be at a heavier body weight. It was a weird "Fish suddenly realizes he's in water" moment.

I have cut and gained the same 10lbs a few times in the past, and that's not what I want this to be. I don't know that I want to back down to sub 180 shudder. But I want to get back to feeling more functional and not having my belly hang over my pants. double shudder


Daily focuses:
Diet:
I wont be tracking macros for this cut. I think it's a great tool, but I dont own a smartphone and my internet presence beyond this forum is almost non-existent. I don't want to be tied to some kind of app or digital tool in order to make this happen. Again, I think it's great, its just not for me.
I really really like Alan Thrall's "Dad Bod" series he did a few years back and I am going to implement those principles for this cut to happen.

1. Eat 3 meals a day. Breakfast. Lunch. Dinner. No snacks, no seconds.
2. No add ons
3. 1 protein, 1 carb, 1 fruit, 1 veggie per meal.
4. No fast food, or if I do fast food then just get 1 thing.
5. No Liquid Calories.

Training:
3 things I'm gonna focus on.
Sandbag work: Help me preserve some strength in my legs and back, while giving me something new to focus on that I believe will have greater carry over to fighting stuff. Plus I don't have to deal with the despair of my 1rm potentially going down or whatever.

Karate classes and heavy bag work: Again, something positive I can focus on while my weight is going down. Plus it's a really great source of cardio.

Bodyweight conditioning sessions: Helps keep some muscle mass on my upper body while keeping my heart rate up. Plus, as my weight goes down I expect things like push ups and pull ups to get easier. So that will feel like a win as well.

Bike rides: I don't really count these as "workouts" but I do like to ride my bike to commute to work a few times a week. It helps with fatloss so we can throw this in here.

Weight tracking: Pretty self-explanatory.

So yesterday would be:

10/09/2023:
Weight 219.4

Meals:
Breakfast: Banana
Protein oatmeal

Lunch: Rotisserie chicken and red pasta

Dinner: Beef enchallada

Drinks: Black coffee and water.

Training: 40 minutes of biking
1 hour karate class.
Last edited by TurtleBear on Wed Oct 11, 2023 2:11 am, edited 1 time in total.

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DCR
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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#18

Post by DCR » Tue Oct 10, 2023 6:38 am

Good luck, dude.
TurtleBear wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2023 4:35 am I dont own a smartphone and my internet presence beyond this forum is almost non-existent.
Good for you. Same, regarding the latter. I’ve always considered it to be a huge positive in my life.
TurtleBear wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2023 4:35 amBodyweight conditioning sessions: Helps keep some muscle mass on my upper body while keeping my heart rate up. Plus, as my weight goes down I expect things like push ups and pull ups to get easier. So that will feel like a win as well.
Eyeing this. The last time that I was ripped up, this was how I did it. Almost didn’t matter what I ate - cleaning up just a bit was all that was needed. It would fit nicely now in two ways: (1) I split time between two states and in this one, where I mostly am, I don’t have access to an Echo Bike, which is about the only form of cardio that I can stand. BW circuits would fill in just fine. (2) A big focus the past few months bas been bracing and stability while lifting. I had been thinking of bringing in a concentration on BW exercises after seeing @KyleSchuant’s thoughts on training with rings; this isn’t that, but it’s for sure much better than nothing.

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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#19

Post by TurtleBear » Wed Oct 11, 2023 2:37 am

DCR wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2023 6:38 am Good luck, dude.

Good for you. Same, regarding the latter. I’ve always considered it to be a huge positive in my life.
Thanks man. Yea I know a lot of people handle the phone thing okay. But I dont. At all. hahaha. I am much happier without one.
DCR wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2023 6:38 am Eyeing this. The last time that I was ripped up, this was how I did it. Almost didn’t matter what I ate - cleaning up just a bit was all that was needed. It would fit nicely now in two ways: (1) I split time between two states and in this one, where I mostly am, I don’t have access to an Echo Bike, which is about the only form of cardio that I can stand. BW circuits would fill in just fine. (2) A big focus the past few months bas been bracing and stability while lifting. I had been thinking of bringing in a concentration on BW exercises after seeing KyleSchuant’s thoughts on training with rings; this isn’t that, but it’s for sure much better than nothing.
1. Yea I think it'll be a really good way to break up some of the monotony with cardio based stuff. I originally was gonna try to program in some kind of progression but instead I think Im gonna let the sessions be random. I have a bunch of 5-15 minute bodyweight conditioning sessions from Brian Alsruhe, and I think I'm just gonna plug one of those in at the front of a workout as a "buy in" to do other stuff. It'll be a fun challenge of the day, get my heart rate up, and make me sweaty and warm going into everything else

2. It's funny you say that. I was just reading over Kyle Schuant's experiment and I'm incredibly interested. Might be a worthwhile thing after the cut. I'll be curious to see what you come up with for bodyweight progression stuff as well. I hear you on the bracing stuff. I learned it originally from starting strength. But that was just "Hold your breath, squeeze your abs". Brian Alsruhe's youtube channel (This is a Brian plug post apparently) is what really taught me how to brace down hard though. Makes a massive difference in the amount of weight you can move and how fast you can move it. Plus you dont get hurt nearly as often so that's cool.

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Re: Munei Muso: Turtle Bear's Log

#20

Post by TurtleBear » Wed Oct 11, 2023 3:05 am

10/10/2023

Weight: 217.8

Meals:
Protein oatmeal

Lunch: Beef Enchilada

Dinner: Beef and Sweet potato

Drinks: Water and black coffee.

Training:
30 minutes of heavy bag work.

Yesterday was one of those days where I was running from 4:00am all the way until 8:00pm when I hit the pillow. But I still got some training in.
Finished dishes and bedtime for the kiddos at about 7:15, ran downstairs and set a timer for 30 minutes. I didn't do rounds or anything super crazy. I kind of just committed to working stuff for the full 30 minutes and trying to rest as little as possible. Did that for about 25 minutes of the session (Got a ton of 'moderate' work in) and then ended the last 5 minutes with hard rounds 1 minute on, 1 minute off. Not a bad day

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