2025 Training Log Part 2

On the stereo today- Mozart’s Requiems, would you believe. It’s that kind of morning.

I’ve been getting back in the swing of things the last week as much as possible.

Monday

I felt ill. I won’t go into it here, but about 2 rounds in, I decided it was in mine and my training partners best interests to stop training. I watched and coached some rounds instead.

Tuesday

Still not great, I went to the gym. Into the BFR straps and…

1. Bench 30, 15, 15, 15, 15
2. Incline Press 3×12
3. Dumbell Row 5×5
4. Bench Row 3×20
5. Swiss Ball Plank 3x60s
6. Plate Halos 3×10
7. EZ Curls 3×10

20 minutes in the sauna to feel warm.

Wednesday

Lower Body day in the gym.

1. Zercher Squats 5×5 at 60kgs
2. Single leg deadlift 5×10
3. Quad Extension 3×15
4. Swiss ball push ups 3×10
5. Hip Pops 3×15

And into the sauna to feel human in the -5 degree weather.

Evening Jiu Jitsu

Still not the world’s greatest session despite feeling a little better, but 8×5 minute rounds done and in the can.

Friday

Show and Go, no BFRs today as I forgot them.

1. Single arm bench 5×8
2. Decline Press 3×15
3. Curl Grip Pulldowns 3×12
4. Half kneeling cable row 3×15
5. Half med ball plank 3x60s
6. Cable tricep kicks 3×20
7. Squatting Preachers 3×10

I do this session on the clock. Minimal rest, hard and fast. Generally I use supersets for this but the gym was quite busy, so 1 piece of kit per set was optimal.

Saturday

Oh Saturday rounds, how I love thee. Empty your tank and then kick back later and eat. The rounds were great, but then I went for barbecue food and stuffed myself, which was the highlight of the day for me.

Training Thoughts of the Week

In the cold, as I age, I am bad. I could put that in a Haiku. It’s true though. The older I get, the more difficult it is to boot up. I’m Windows 95 in the winter. There’s a lot of whirring and clanking as I start to get going, and then when I’m just about warm, the session is over, and it’s home time. The nastiness has gone out of the weather for now, but my goal for this week is to start my warm up earlier.

Non-Training Thoughts of the Week

Are you getting the personal trainer ads on your social media? They’re everywhere, and they’re getting increasingly ridiculous. “UNLEASH YOUR INNER POWER!” I got one the other day that looked like the cover of Ride the Lightening. Another one came in and it was a girl in a bikini on the back of a motorbike “Looking for 5 motivated individuals to get fit and lose bodyweight in Dublin”. WHY ARE YOU ON A MOTORBIKE IN A BIKINI! I wanted to message, “THE EXHAUST GETS REALLY HOT YOU’RE GOING TO BURN YOUR LEG!”. But she probably wouldn’t listen to me.

I get that they want to stand out but man, I feel strongly that there’s a better way to do this marketing thing.

Looking forward to a good week on the mat, hope to see you there,

Barry