2026 Training Log Part 19

On the Stereo today- Nina Simone

Last week I came here to write this blog all chirpy from a great week’s training, recovery, and sleep.

This week, dear reader, I come to you with a tale of woe. The total opposite of a week. Bad sleep, bad recovery, bad rounds, soreness. Such is life.

Tuesday

The weeks started a day late due to the bank holiday. And with a limp strength session.

1. 10 min hill climber on the bike
2. Close grip bench w/u 5 at 90kgs
3. Single arm machne press 3×15
4. Lat Pull Down 4×8
5. Face pulls 3×15
6. Wobble board plank 3x60s
7. Pushdowns 3×20

Evening- NoGi Jiu Jitsu

Straight in, no kissing. Went hard out, 10x5min rounds. Started to blow at 6. Spent the last 3 or 4 in survival mode. Not great work, but when 8.45 rolled around, it was over like any other session.

Wednesday

Usual morning training partner was off, and I felt really fatigued after a bad sleep, so I took the morning off and had a nap.

Evening Jiu Jitsu. 5x5min rounds. Decent without being great.

Thursday

Absolutely bolloxed today. Got into bed the night before really tired and could barely read a page of my book before I nodded off, ready for a solid 8 hours. Instead I was woken up about 3 hours later by foxes either fighting or riding in my back garden. I don’t know if you’ve heard those banshee sounds in the middle of the night, but it’s awful. Didn’t get back to sleep until it was bright, at which time it was time to wake up

All that meant was walking around like a zombie for the day until I jumped on the mat for Jiu Jitsu sparring for an hour later on. I think I got 6 rounds in, but was sucking fumes for the lot.

Friday

Recovery/Rep session

1. Single arm “post” press 5×30
2. Ring push ups 3×15
3. Prone row 3×15
4. Half kneeling 45 cable row 3×15 each side
5. Steering Wheel Plank 3x60s
6. Flutter kicks 3×100
7. Alternate curls 3×30

And that was it for the week. Thank God.

Training Thoughts of the Week

The gut-brain link was possibly the issue this week. In a proper sign of middle age, I was suffering with digestion issues for the week. I found myself feeling sluggish and tired for a lot of the time, with a feeling of heaviness every time I went to train. The thng about issues like that is they compound rather than improve. You drink less water because you feel full, and on Thursday, once I got hime from training, I realised I’d just had a chicken breast sandwich at 11am. So no fuel, underhydrated, and without proper sleep, you end up with bad outputs.

Hopefully a better week this week!

Non-Training Thoughts of the Week

I am locked in. I have no thoughts outside of training for the next few weeks. Don’t expect any.

See you on the mat,

Barry