2024 Training Log Part 29

On the stereo today- A load of stuff I’ve been enjoying lately. Right now- Love Insurrection- Primal Scream.

Last week was part spent in Lisbon on a holiday after the Kids Euros. Tell you what though, I should count it as training. We were staying in Chiado, at the top of a hill. It’s beautiful there, full of winding, hilly streets, with Portuguese style mosaic paving in steps up them. Steps. Lots of steps. Steps as far as the eye can see. Somehow never going downward. Just upward. I got one hell of a leg workout.

So no training until…

Friday

Upper Body Session. Hey something funny happened in the gym I should mention, but I’ll tell you that in a bit.

On with the BFR straps.

1. Bench worked up to 90kgx5
2. T-Bar Row full stack 3×15
3. Decline Press 2×25
4. Kettlebell bench row 2×12
5. Single arm high pull 2×15
6. Superset a) push downs 2×15 b) cable kickbacks 2×20
7. Alternate curls 3×20

I actually started with dumbbell bench, but my shoulder was on fire. I have a dodgy rib on one side- I had a separation about 15 years ago and it just sort of sticks out now like an extra ab. It flared up after the Lisbon Open, I think more from travel and a bad hotel bed rather than the match, and my whole left side has been tight and stiff since. Might take a few days work to get it right.

Saturday

Rounds. I think I did 8, and then I got called away for a home plumbing emergency. No kidding. My wife never calls me at work or training, so I finished the session doing tech support on how to turn off our water before our house flooded and then ran!

Overall, a very quiet week for training, as you can see. Back into it this week.

Training Thoughts of the Week

I got asked if I was on steroids! That was the funny thing that happened in the gym. It was in the dressing rooms, and a guy was asking me what I did for training, and when I told him he made some PED related innuendos about MMA and Jiu Jitsu, and then asked me outright what I was on. Not IF I was on. What. I’ll take it as an arseways compliment. Actually the pump after wearing the BFR straps is mental, so I probably looked a bit balloony, but even so, c’mon.

Also the fella was out of shape.

Reminds me of a gag.

“How do you know someone is on steroids?”
“They’re stronger than you”

Non-Training Thoughts of the Week

As you might have seen, we released an episode of the Kyuzo Podcast last week. I was asked if I had a degree of doubt about how it would be received. It’s not like thousands will view it, but it’s a very difficult thing to do- to put something out in the world and risk the judgement of others. It’s natural to have some self-doubt, and when I finally typed, “Okay, you can release it now” to my tech-dude, there was a brief catch of breath as it went.

But that was it. Forgive the coarse language but I really do not give a fuck what people think. I did it because I thought it would be interesting to do, and that if I’m interested in the topics I’m going to get people in to talk about, then there might be a few other people out there who will be interested too. 5, 500, 5,000. I don’t care. You can’t get tied up in what other people will think, it would stifle you from doing anything.

You can view or listen to the podcast here- Episode 2- Jack Dolan

And now Avril 14th by Aphex Twin is on the stereo and I’m off to make some coffee and do some real work. Slán libh.

See you on the mat,

Barry