TaurusAir16 Log

[TaurusAir16]

To all who may view this log, welcome, and thanks for reading. I’ve read and followed TB protocols off and on since 2014, and if only I’d stayed true that whole time...to think where I might be!

This is probably going to be a long intro, so if you’re only here for the stats and day to day, feel free to keep scrolling.

Background:
US Naval Aviator, been in for about 6.5 years. Little over 1100 flight hours-mostly in the P-8 Poseidon-currently on instructor duty flying the T-6 Texan II.

Played baseball growing up and have always loved the sport, but didn’t have the discipline as a teenager to stick to it as a player. Have played beer-league softball off and on since college, and will occasionally pick up a round of golf.
——>I can’t help but have a little self-aware chuckle to myself here; I know many gentlemen on this board are SWAT/Infantry/SF/Tier 1 who sling lead, live hard, lift heavy, and in addition to having relaxing hobbies such as rugby, BJJ, or maybe hockey on an off day. Those individuals are likely having a good laugh/eye roll at the pilot who will take in a round of golf. Hey, what can I say? Stereotypes exist for a reason after all!

High school XC runner, and while I wasn’t terribly good, it did prepare me well for PT in my ROTC days. Big Navy (I.e., not SEAL, SWCC, EOD) loves running and doesn’t know much about exercise other than elementary calisthenics. I could write a book about how little Big Navy knows about effective PT. I’m sure those aforementioned SPECWAR types could write enough to fill a library.

As I neared commissioning with eyes on an aviation slot, I read that weight training can benefit G-tolerance, which would be an obvious boon to both flight training and eventually tactical flying. Though I mostly bounced around various bro-lifting flavors of the week, I did discover Pavel’s outstanding “Simple and Sinister” shortly before commissioning. That turned me on to more minimalist strength programs.

Finally, a few months into flight school, I happened upon TangoZero’s log on BB.com. His program seemed like the real deal, and if it worked for a busy SWAT officer, I’m sure it would do wonders for a then-student aviator. I bought the first edition of TB, read it in one sitting, and about seven weeks later, completed my first Operator block with a respectable 10 lb increase in BP, 20 lb in SQ, and added about 3 BW pull-ups, bringing me up to 15 for the first time.

And that set me on my journey, right? Wrong! Six years later, I’ve played program pinball with a bunch of different protocols. I’ve done Simple and Sinister again (usually goes well for 8-10 weeks, but the heavy TGUs murder my shoulders), Starting Strength twice (great for squats and so-so for everything else), and yet even more various bro-lifting flavor of the week. Yet whenever I return to Ol’ Painless (how I refer to TB to the uninitiated), it seems to hit a big reset button and deliver reliable progress time and again.

So here we are, finally. Having recently come off of a Starting Strength burnout, I’ve grown somewhat tired of barbell training. Additionally, SS’s nutritional guidelines (“see-food”, as far as I can tell) have saddled me with a less than favorable body composition. So this is a perfect opportunity to hit that reset button and run Block 1/Base-Building, which I’ve ignored for so long.

Several hundred words later and I’ve fulfilled another pilot stereotype: loves talking about himself.

***Here are some current metrics***

6’2, 225lbs (down from 230; likely “best” condition around 205-210)
Squat: 275 TM, recent PR 275x5
Bench Press: 235 TM, ancient PR 300x1 (haven’t trained BP hard since 2017)
Deadlift: 315 TM, ancient PR 410x1 (same story as BP)
Bodyweight Chin-ups: 10, PR 15. Prefer these to pull-ups as they give me less elbow trouble.
Most recent PFA (Oct 19): 11:47 1.5 mile (diesel), 61 pushups (woof), and 70 sit-ups (don’t really care, Navy is going to planks anyway)
Intend to run for most of my conditioning, but will need to work around a touchy ankle/Achilles from time to time.


I know those are small fry numbers for a healthy male who has been lifting weights for eight years. “Stay focused!” is the advice I’d give my past self. But I’m still just 28, and with no major injury history, I figure I have lots of good training years ahead of me yet. If TB has taught me anything, it’s that a few months of strong consistent training is all it takes to right the ship.

I’ll be starting with Block 1/Base-Building, with as few modifications as possible.

[Barkadion]

Welcome and good luck mate!!

[TaurusAir16]

B1/BB W1/D1

SE 3x20
Pushups
10 lb Medicine Ball Squats
TRX Rows
30 sec plank

Some light static stretching afterward

Pretty barebones. Would add kettlebell swings if I still had one.
Opting for the plank in lieu of crunches or similar due to them coming down the pipe on the new Navy PFA. I also think they may be more valuable anyway. Plan on ramping those up in 15 sec increments week to week.

[VenomousCoffee]

I'm a teacher, so you'll always have someone to look down on!

Welcome!

[Maxrip13]

Welcome mate.

I like the planks in place of sit ups. Good to see you are already making things work for you within the system.

Always good to see more logs on here.

[Likes]

Welcome

[TaurusAir16]

B1/BB W1/D2

Ex30M

LSS Stationary Bike
Level 5 resistance

Dealing with some Achilles pain. Hope to be able to run tomorrow, but will definitely be back at it by Sat.
I know this is supposed to be almost painfully easy, but the HR hovered around 105-110.

[TaurusAir16]

Yesterday B1/BB W1/D3

Ex30M
More Stationary bike. Achilles is feeling better today. Should be ready for roadwork on Saturday.

Today B1/BB W1/D4

SE 3x20
Pushups/Med ball squats/TRX rows/30 sec planks

Nothing noteworthy here. Good reps on all movements.

[TaurusAir16]

Another two day log

Yesterday B1/BB W1/D5
35 min walk+15 min stretching/foam roll.
Achilles is getting better, able to put more weight on it. Think it’ll be ready to run with a brace tomorrow.

Today B1/BB W1/D6
Ex31M, LSS Run.
Achilles still only up to 75-80%, but that’s usually enough to throw on a brace and go for it. It usually feels better after LSS type work. Maybe the increased circulation helps. Might do one or two more runs with the brace, but should be fine.

[TaurusAir16]

B1/BB W2/D1

SE 3x30
Did pretty well on the pushups this time
Little bit of rest pause with the med ball squats
Good TRX rows
45 sec planks this week