Totem Animal's Spirit Guide

[Totem Animal]

I'm a LEO from northern Europe. I have some military background in support units. I'm currently training to be able to do my job and to stay healthy. I used to do some grappling on a hobbyist level, and I would really like to get back to rolling. At the moment logistics don't allow for martial arts, but that is likely to be changed towards the end of the year. I hope to see the next TB book "Tactical Barbell for Martial Arts" soon.

I did couple of blocks of black pro fighter Bangkok earlier, and it felt good. I might consider something similar in the future.

Priorities for the next year or so:

1. Stay injury free. I'm in my thirties and I have had my fair share of injuries. I'm tired of them. I'm going to include some regular prehab work for my problem areas (shoulders, hamstrings, hip mobility). I have also tried to do short yoga sessions couple of times a week, and I'm going to continue with those. I also need to strengthen my core to prevent injuries.

2. Keep working consistently. This is why I'm also starting this log, to introduce some peer pressure…

3. Get back to grappling. That's what I really enjoy. Right now martial arts is not an option because of my irregular hours and real life. It's very taxing for myself and my wife to live in different towns, but this is (hopefully) a temporary arrangement that will change sooner or later.

4. Improve power and work capacity.

5. Improve maximum strength.

6. Maintain endurance base.

NOTE 1: When I'm talking about training "week", I'm referring to microcycle that may or may not be 7 days. I'm not thinking in terms of weeks. I'm thinking in terms of sessions that I need to complete. If I'm supposed to do fun run today, but I need to work extra hours and I feel exhausted, I take an extra day off. Then I simply bump my fun run for tomorrow. I'm not going to get away and skip the fun run just because I didn't feel 100 % the day I was supposed to do it.

NOTE 2: I will be using SI units and derivatives. For those of you who use some other backward convention I will use parenthesis for convenience (for now at least).

NOTE 3: English is not my first language. When you spot errors in my text, please correct me for learning purposes. You get extra credit if you can explain "why."

[Totem Animal]

Now that I have my mandatory PFT out of the way, I'm going to start with base building. Instead of doing the standard variation, I'm going to use running for LSS and Simple & Sinister kettlebell program for strength endurance. I'm doing S&S for a couple of reasons. First, I have easy access to kettlebells, and given my time constraints, I can get more free time doing S&S. Second, Turkish Get-Ups help stabilize core and shoulders, both of which are top priority for me. Heavy one-handed swings help with grip strength, which is extremely important for grappling.

Currently my test scores are:

Deadlift: 160 kg (352 lbs)
Clean: 100 kg (220 lbs)
Squat: 3x125 kg, approximated 1RM: 132 kg (291 lbs)
Military Bench Press: 3x100 kg, approximated 1 RM: 106 kg (233 lbs)
Weighted Pull-up: bodyweight + 40 kg (88 lbs)
BW Pull-up: 19 reps
5000 m: 21:30
Resting heart rate: 60
Murph (Crossfit WOD)*: 43:48

*Murph was done without extra weight. Pull-ups were done strict, not Crossfit style. Pull-ups, push-ups and squats were partitioned as needed.

I need some kind of metric to measure power besides max clean. Maybe vertical jump, standing broad jump, medicine ball throw or something similar. I need to think about this. Nevertheless I still need to start doing some power exercises. Now I'm old and slow. I want to be old but explosive.

I need to improve Murph time. A lot. I have been lazy and neglected exercises that are uncomfortable.
I'm aiming to reach simple standard from S&S. That's 10x10 one handed swings in 5 minutes, followed by one minute rest, and then 10 Turkish get-ups in 10 minutes with 32 kg (70 lbs) kettlebell.

Deadlift needs 20+ kgs. I don't know why I'm so terrible at it. Squat is going to creep back up by itself, I had quite a long pause from heavy squats because of an injury. I'm probably going to shift more towards front squat. Bench press is ok. I think I'm going to introduce some vertical pushes at the expense of bench press.

I feel I have a decent endurance base. At least when it comes to running. As my job doesn't currently require huge aerobic base I'm placing endurance at the bottom of my priority list. I'm willing to sacrifice some of it if it means progress in other domains. If things change I know from experience I can reach a reasonable level in running if I prioritize it for 8-10 weeks.

[Totem Animal]

BLOCK 1, week 1 (basebuilding)

Time to start with base building. The plan here is to do 4-5 LSS sessions per week and 4-5 kettlebell Simple & Sinister sessions per week. In addition I will be doing some prehab and easy ancillary work. I will also do short Vinyasa yoga flows (15-20 min) outside of this log.

All endurance sessions are based on heart rate and time only. Aim is to keep heart rate at 120-140. One LSS session will be longer than others. On week 1 short runs will be 30 minutes and long run 60 minutes. Goal here is to gradually increase the time (and hopefully total distance).

S&S is used for strength endurance. I'm going to start with 20 kg kettlebell (44 lbs) on week 1 and move up once I'm able to consistently reach the standard.

Session 1
LSS run 5,13 km (3,18 mi)
32:07 (6:16/km), HR(avg) 133

I'm trying to do as many of the runs as possible on soft trail. My knees and tibia don't really like running on asphalt. The downside is that soft trails I use have quite a bit of elevation which makes keeping heart rate stable challenging. But speed here is not the goal, so if I need to walk up a steep hill, so be it.

Session 2
Two handed swing 2x10 (20 kg) (44 lbs)
One handed swing 8x10 (20 kg)
Turkish get-up 10x1 (20 kg)

Pull-ups
Nordic hamstring curls

First S&S session. Felt pretty good. TGUs with 20 kg bell were easier than I thought. I assume lack of grip strength will be limiting factor for my one handed swings at some point.

I'm doing some ancillary exercises to address weaknesses and imbalances. This time I did Nordic hamstring curls, which is for me first and foremost a prehab exercise. I have torn my hamstrings several times (I was a sprinter in high school), and there is strong evidence that eccentric hamstring work significantly reduces the risk of injury (up to 50 % reduction).

Session 3
LSS run 4,40 km (2,73 mi)
27:25 (6:14/km), HR(avg) 128

Session 4
One handed swing 10x10 (20 kg) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish get-up 10x1 (20 kg) in 10 min

Handstand push-up
Barbell row (wide grip)

Last time S&S felt easy, so I chose to go for the timed standard right away. Swings were easy, maintaining grip was the hardest part. First 5 or 6 TGUs were really easy. Mid section started to falter towards the end.

I tore the skin on my palm in swings. This might complicate things. I need to re-arrange the rest of this week's sessions.
Wide grip barbell row is a balancing exercise. Doing a lot of vertical pulls and horizontal presses causes shoulders to turn front. Wide gripped barbell row is one of the best exercises to combat this. Band pull-apart is another great option, but I don't have a proper band for that at the moment.

Session 5
LSS run 9,33 km (6,17 mi)
1:04:40 (6:56/km), HR(avg) 128

I chose to do long run today instead of S&S and a short run. Run felt good, but slow. I had to walk one steep hill. HR rose to 150 despite walking. I don't mind short spikes, average was still where it's supposed to be.

Session 6
LSS run 4,50 km (2,79 mi)
30:00 (6:40/km), HR(avg) 128

Session 7
One handed swing 10x10 (20 kg) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish get-up 10x1 (20 kg) in 10 min

Pull-up towel grip

I'm using different grip variations for pull-ups. Using towel is something grapplers like to do to strengthen their grip. It's very beneficial in judo and BJJ, where winning the grip fight is a requisite for a successful throw, sweep or submission.

Session 8
LSS run 4,60 km (2,85 mi)
30:00 (6:31/km), HR(avg) 128

Session 9
One handed swing 10x10 (20 kg) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish get-up 10x1 (20 kg) in 10 min

Pull-up mixed grip

Session 10
One handed swing 10x10 (20 kg) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish get-up 10x1 (20 kg) in 10 min

Pull-up towel
Nordic hamstring curl

Week completed in seven days. I had one day of total rest as recommended in the books. On days that I did two sessions, I usually tried to run in the morning and do S&S later. Total weekly running distance: 27,96 km (17,37 mi). Running felt ok. I'm going to increase running times a bit next week.

S&S sessions were fun to do. The first S&S I didn't time, but I reached the timed standard on four other sessions, and I still felt I had gas in the tank afterward. I think I will move up to 24 kg (53 lbs) kettlebell next week.

Easy week, body feels fresh. I expect to start feeling the cumulative work and overall muscle soreness on week two or three.

[VenomousCoffee]

NOTE 3: English is not my first language. When you spot errors in my text I kindly ask you to correct me for learning purposes. You get extra credit if you can explain "why".

When you spot errors in my text, please correct me for learning purposes.

--There should be a comma after "text" because "when you spot errors in my text" is an introductory dependent clause, and those should always be followed by a comma. I changed "I kindly ask" to "please" because it's fewer words and because the change from a 2nd person pronoun ("you") to a first person pronoun ("I") can be a little jarring for readers.

You get extra credit if you can explain "why."

--Punctuation should go inside the quotation mark unless there's the possibility of reader confusion with whether the punctuation goes with the quote or the sentence as a whole (Didn't he say to "throw it back"?).

Now that I have my mandatory PFT out of the way I'm going to start with base building. Instead of doing the standard variation, I'm going to use running for LSS and Simple & Sinister kettlebell program for strength endurance. I'm doing S&S for couple of reasons. First, I have easy access to kettlebells, and given my time constraints I can get more free time doing it. Second, Turkish get ups help stabilize core and shoulders, both of which are top priority for me. Heavy onehanded swings help with grip strength which is extremely important for grappling.

Now that I have my mandatory PFT out of the way, I'm going to start with base building.

--Same as the comma after "text" above.

I'm doing S&S for a couple of reasons.

--Just a missing article, "a."

First, I have easy access to kettlebells, and given my time constraints, I can get more free time using S&S.

--Comma after "constraints" for the same reason as "text" above.

--I replaced the pronoun "it" at the end with "S&S" because there were too many words between the two (pronoun and antecedent) for readers to immediately understand what "it" refers to.

Second, Turkish Get-Ups …

--Capitalizing a proper noun.

Heavy one-handed swings help with grip strength, which is extremely important for grappling.

--There should be a hyphen between one and handed.

--There should be a comma before "which" almost, or nearly almost, every time you use it. "Which" introduces non-essential clauses, which always get separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma.

(I didn't write definitions for the terms I used because I figured you can Google them, but if you need explanations, I'm happy to help.)

(I'm an English teacher.)

[Totem Animal]

[...]

(I'm an English teacher.)

Thank you very much. Your explanation is very helpful.

I'm having a lot of trouble with the use of articles because my native language doesn't use them. Using commas is also giving me headache because the rules are very different in English. For example, in my native language you would always put a comma before a subordinating conjunction, which is not the case with English.

[Totem Animal]

BLOCK 1, week 2 (basebuilding)

Session 1
LSS run 5.03 km (3.12 mi)
35:00 (6:58/km), HR(avg) 130

Session 2
One-handed swing 10x10 (24 kg) (53 lbs) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (24 kg) in 10 min

Towel Pull-Up
Nordic Hamstring Curl

Session 3
LSS run 5.43 km (3.37 mi)
35:00 (6:27/km), HR(avg) 126

Session 4
One-handed swing 10x10 (24 kg) (53 lbs) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (24 kg) in 10 min

Hand Stand Push-Up
Pull-Up

Session 5
LSS run 5.23 km (3.25 mi)
35:00 (6:42/km), HR(avg) 126

Session 6
One-handed swing 10x10 (24 kg) (53 lbs) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (24 kg) in 10 min

Session 7
LSS run 9.91 km (6.15 mi)
1:10:00 (7:04/km), HR(avg) 128

Session 8
LSS run 5.19 km (3.22 mi)
35:00 (6:45/km), HR(avg) 122

Session 9
One-handed swing 10x10 (24 kg) (53 lbs) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (24 kg) in 10 min

Nordic Hamstring Curl
Barbell Row wide grip

Session 10
One-handed swing 10x10 (24 kg) (53 lbs) in 5 min
Rest 1 min
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (24 kg) in 10 min

Towel Pull-Up
Diamond Push-Up

Week completed in seven days. Total run distance 30.79 km (19.13 mi). One day of full rest.

For the short runs I increased the time from 30 to 35 minutes, and for the long run from 60 to 70 minutes. I had to run LSS sessions 3 and 5 on asphalt because I valued sleeping longer in the morning more than driving to a soft trail. I didn't feel any pain in my knees, so I guess it was a good call. My legs still feel pretty fresh, so I think I increase run times again next week.

Simple and sinister definitely felt more challenging with a 24 kg kettlebell but I still managed to complete all five sessions in target time (5 min + 1 min + 10 min). I tore the skin on my palm again. I'm just not used to this much volume with swings. I might limit back-to-back S&S days to two, which means either adding an extra rest day or reducing the number of weekly S&S sessions from five to four. For the next week I think I'll do S&S sessions without a timer, and progressively introduce sets with a 28 kg kettlebell.

[VenomousCoffee]

[...]

(I'm an English teacher.)

Thank you very much. Your explanation is very helpful.

I'm having a lot of trouble with the use of articles because my native language doesn't use them. Using commas is also giving me headache because the rules are very different in English. For example, in my native language you would always put a comma before a subordinating conjunction, which is not the case with English.

It is very common for people to have a hard time learning how to use English articles if their language doesn't have them. And our native speakers have trouble with commas. I even have to teach a summer class for the people on our school's communications team (all college graduates) on commas and other issues.

Just takes time and practice.

[Totem Animal]

BLOCK 1, week 3 (basebuilding)

Session 1
LSS run 6.51 km (4.04 mi)
40:00 (6:09/km), HR(avg) 127

Session 2
One-Handed Swing 10x10 (24,28,28,28,24)
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (24,28,28,28,24)

HSPU
BB Row

Session 3
LSS run 5.96 km (3.70 mi)
40:00 (6:43/km), HR(avg) 126

Session 4
One-Handed Swing 10x10 (24,28,28,28,28)
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (24,28,28,28,28)

Nordic Hamstring Curl
Pull-Up (mixed grip)

Session 5
LSS run 6.52 km (4.05 mi)
40:00 (6:08/km), HR(avg) 121

Session 6
One-Handed Swing 10x10 (32,32,32,24,24)
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (32,32,32,24,24)

Pull-Up
Push-Up

Session 7
LSS run 6.04 km (3.75 mi)
1:20:00 (6:37/km), HR(avg) 129

Session 8
One-Handed Swing 10x10 (32,32,32,24,24)
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (32,32,32,24,24)

BB Row
Dip

Session 9
LSS run 11.17 km (6.94 mi)
1:20:00 (7:10/km), HR(avg) 129

Session 10
One-Handed Swing 10x10 (28,28,28,28,28)
Turkish Get-Up 10x1 (28,28,28,28,28)

Towel Pull-Up
HSPU
Nordic Hamstring Curl

Week completed in eight days. Total run distance 36.20 km (22.49 mi). One day of full rest. This week took one day longer. I had two 12 hour night shifts in a row, and I was exhausted. One extra day to get all sessions in was a good decision.

I increased LSS run times to 40 minutes and 80 minutes. Total run distance is steadily increasing. I really started to feel all the running in my legs. I also remembered why I'm not that fond of LSS running: it's pretty boring to be honest. I think I need to get some cheap headphones to listen to some music or an audio book while running. I ran sessions one and five on asphalt which is why they were faster than the others.

I planned to introduce 28 kg (62 lbs) kettlebell to Simple and Sinister sessions. Sessions two and four went fine. Sessions six and eight I did in a gym that didn't have 28 kg bells. It was either 24 kg or 32 kg. I decided to try the heavier bell. I managed to do three sets with both arms before my form started to falter. I had to rest for quite a long time between sets. Swings were ok. TGUs were hard. Especially with left arm. I need to fix that balancing issue after I finish base building. Dumbbell presses should help with that. In session ten I did all sets with 28 kg bell, and it felt manageable.

Overall I'm feeling pretty beat up. Lot of hassle at work but I managed to get some range time squeezed in too.

I try to get little longer runs next week. For S&S, I think I stay with the same weight, and I try to go for the timed standard which will keep S&S sessions closer to strength endurance.