2024 - 05 - 27

We’re three weeks into my self-directed endurance program, which is usually about the time I have to re-evaluate and re-calibrate the balance of intensity and volume.

Teaching the dark arts to the next generation!

Summary:

This week’s grappling continues to focus on butterfly guard / shoulder crunch options, both to set up leg locks (SLX / 50-50) and upper body attacks (armbars and kimuras). I’m also working on an updated “training journal” spreadsheet that I’ll share as a premium post here once the details and kinks are ironed out.

I tried to not get sucked in to the Memorial Day MURPH hype, and resisted for the most part. However, Tuesday’s “mobility” sessions was more like painful hypertrophy that left me sore for days.

The end of the week was a bit bipolar, feeling strong on Friday, taking it easier on Saturday, and feeling wrecked on Sunday — which was a good reminder the “perpetual progress” is a lie. You can’t do more / harder every session.

Perhaps my earlier insight, to build my tolerance of threshold endurance / capacity (about 40 min) until HR can be sustained below 145 for longer, was pretty accurate.

Contents:

• Monday: Tempo Endurance, > 45 min
• Tuesday: Mobility / Strength
• Wednesday: NoGi BJJ / Butterfly to Single-Leg-X series
• Thursday: NoGi BJJ / Arm Saddle Kimuras and Armbars
• Friday: Monostructure Endurance, > 45 min
• Saturday: NoGi BJJ / All things butterfly guard
• Sunday: Monostructure Endurance, 30 min

More nerdy graphs, new session format, and YouTube videos below!

Weekly Review:

Overview: I’ve tried dozens of spreadsheets, notebooks, and apps over the years, and am recently reworking a spreadsheet template to track important metrics and remain accountable to identified goals / focus.

Training Focus: Endurance
Focus Percent (of training hours): 28%

Stress Avg.: 29
Sleep Avg.: 7.55 hours

What worked well and what allowed it?

Monday I resisted the urged to do a MURPH. As written, the session I conceived was supposed to be 10 rounds for time, but I pulled the plug around 45 minutes to stay disciplined with my HR range.

Friday was a good reminder to “separate myself from outcomes.” Regardless of pace, or distance, the focus was time and HR / breath.

What didn’t work and why?

Tuesday I got little too hypertrophy oriented rather than movement oriented with my “mobility” session. The cost was a few days of soreness, which was a bit of a morale drag.

Saturday night I got a little carried away with the food and drink indulgence while watching the UFC fights, stress on Sunday was 56 which Garmin notes as “almost no non-stressful moments throughout the day.”

Plan for next week?

I’m still not sure how to gauge the “levels” or difficulty / complexity of training sessions. A simple Level 1, 2, or 3 seems intuitive and somewhat effective, but sometimes simple is quite difficulty — like all of grappling, or for me endurance is “simple” and very difficult. This just means whether my ego or logic wants to call a session this-or-that “level”, the “stress” indicator (biometrics) don’t lie.

Training Sessions:

5/27/24: Endurance - Tempo

Intention:

Tempo endurance, Zone 2 x 45 min

Work:

AMRAP/45:
40 cal x run (treadmill)
30 x step up (total)
20 x push up
10 x pull up

Results:

6 rounds + 20 cal

5/28/24: Mobility

Intention:

Emphasize range of motion and strength throughout the range. Develop strength as a function of mobility.

Work:

Banded Pull Apart: 3 x 20
Asst. (hand) Cossack Squat: 3 x 20 (alternating)
DB Bench Press: 3 x 20 (3 sec pause)
Front Squat: 5 x 10 (3 sec pause)
Overhead Squat: 5 x 3 (3 sec pause)
Shoulder CARs: 2 x 5 (each side)

Results:

Bench Press: 2 x 20 lb DBs
Front Squat and OHS: 45 lbs. BB

5/29/24: Sport - NoGi BJJ

5/30/24: Sport - NoGi BJJ

5/31/24: Endurance

Intention:

Don’t look at your watch until you’ve hit 3 miles (~35-40 min).

Results:

6/1/24:

Intention:

Rickson Gracie said, “Sparring is meditation, not competition.” So the goal for today was to “meditate”, flow and practice, not necessarily whimsically play, but explore and learn.

Results:

7 x 6 min rounds

6/2/24:

Intention:

This should have been a 45 - 50 minute session, but I was on more difficult terrain (not the incline in the first 15 minutes), and was really struggling. I figured if I cut the session “planned” duration in half, and then went a little more it was still better than giving up on the first hill, or sitting on the couch all day.

Results: