rollin with chet training methodology 2020

Until i get new shit. This is how we do.

Diet

During the week, fasting window 5 to 9

Weekend keep it loose

Training

Quick and the dead

Rest

Loaded carry

Rest

Repeat

Grease the groove training

On training days: presses and abs

On rest days: pulls and abs

quick and the dead | 2020 - 13 | 60 reps swings and pushups

Doing the fucking program as advertised.

- 2 to 3 times per week

- swings and pushups

- focus is on power, not weight

Today was 60 reps. Felt great. Pushups on my knuckles with a focus on leaving the ground with every rep.

Fasting until 4 to 5p (break will be with about 100g protein).

GPP | 2020 - 12 | Suitcase walk | Grease movement = KB Floor Press

Suitcase walk is still my favorite. It's a mega ab exercise, builds traps, and allows me to quickly switch hands when I'm bushed.

As for grease the groove, going to mix things up a bit. I don't mind daily pressing, but I also don't want my shoulders to get messed up movement pattern injuries. Daily pressing means daily pressing variations.

Today = KB Floor Press (one arm)
Reps
10

GPP | 2020 - 11 | 20kg mixed walk for 20min

Focus right meow is on walking speed rather than resilience. I definitely find that I have to will myself to build up more speed or else I'll end up taking a leisurely stroll.

As before, for the first 10min I switch between waiters walks and suitcase carries, then do exclusively suitcase carries on the way home (10-15min?).

GGP | 2020 - 10 | 15min rack and suitcase walk

Somewhat less glamorous way to start my morning. Part of it was shitty sleep and exhaustion. I'm really looking forward to building a DIY sled so I have another morning option.

GPP | 2020 - 9 | This is the way to start your morning | Walk 20min waiters/suitcase

Man fuck morning swings. I'll do that shit before dinner. Loaded carries outside is a great way to start the day, doesn't have a set rep scheme, and soon ill be able to do multiple options (hellllo sled).

Quick and the dead | 2020 - 8 | 60 reps one arm swings

Tried high pulls but nahhhh

Attempted using 'jumping' pushups to try and get more velocity (i.e. pushoff without a clap).

Rolling with Chet

Revisiting this thread in 6 months.

It occurs to me that someone offering self help is an asshole if they don't practice what they preach. The idea of 'rolling with chet' is ludicrous and not something I necessarily want to talk about online. The tenants fall under a few categories:
- Mind: Destress, declutter, have a goal you are working towards
- Body: Injury prevention, build power, build resistance
- Gut: Reduce sugar, intermittent fasting

GGP | 2020 - 7 | Mix walk 20min with 20kg KB

This was amazing!

By switch walk I mean I did the following:
- Start with waiter carry left arm
- Continue with suitcase carry left arm
- Switch to right arm
- Repeat

I was able to go much further before taking breaks as my grip wasn't a limiting factor. Really trying to push walking speed while doing this. I almost regret buying rings, as I feel i can do fuckin anything with this kettlebell.

Creativity through simplicity damnnit.

My legs on the other hand, are not looking so great. They feel absolutely fine, but not rock solid anymore. KB squats still feel kind of funny (b/c of tight quads, my knee actually feels fine). I'm going to stick with hamstring slides for now for grease the groove.

Quick and the dead | 2020 - 6 | 80 reps two handed swings

Session went great but kind of lost steam near the end.

Today is the day i reinvigorate all over fasting. This start eating at 12p crap is for the birds. I almost feel like the fast is a wash unless I'm doing it for longer periods.

GPP | 2020 - 5 | 20min walk with 20kg KB

I'm stressed af from the new job and oh ya THE PENDING WAR WITH IRAN but other than the world being on fire things are good.

Injuries feel fine

quick and the dead | 2020 - 4 | 100 reps two handed swings

First workout in a few days. First time doing a 100 rep workout. Easy peezy.

Confidence, sex drive, injury, all the things are great right now.

Getting used to being a different size

Ditching the gym has been pretty god damn interesting. A few things have happened:
- My injuries are all cleared up
- I'm leaning out due to daily grease the groove lifting, cardio, Q&D, and intermittent fasting

I'm not married to a routine or movements anymore. The usual struggle with 'am i doing it right' and minor tweaks doesn't exist. And I'm shrinking. Not everything is getting smaller (lookin at you shoulders, you're looking good), but for the most part I'm losing mass all around. One of my fears of ditching the gym was that my identity was rooted in being a certain size and gait.

But was that really great? Not really. I was fatter than i wanted to be. I was always hurt. And no one, copy, no one fucking cares what size I am. Especially not my girlfriend.

More to ponder on for later. Just wanted these thoughts down to look back on.

quick and the dead | 2020-3 | 40 reps | one handed swings

Didnt sleep well. Took a light day. Diet yesterday was absolute garbage. Full on fasting today to eat the difference.

GPP | 2020 - 2 | Walk 20min with a 45lb kettlebell

Suitcase carry. Heart wasn't in it today, but a lot of that could be attributed to the bubbly Ana and I drank last night.

Shoulders look and feel fucking big. Decided yesterday to start plotting grease the groove KB Presses I do throughout the day so I can track total monthly volume. Considering the reps have been steadily climbing week after week, this is gonna be prettttty pretttty cool.

I don't even know where I need to start getting a new KB weight. I'm getting so much out of 45lbs. Way more than I ever thought was possible.

Quick and the Dead | 2020-1 | One Handed Swings | 60 reps

Steady energy level: high
Speedy energy level: medium
Sex drive: too high
Confidence: high

Quick and the Dead | 2020-1 | One Handed Swings & Fist Pushups | 60 reps in 18min

I'm driving to Orlando, so any grease the groove work beyond my morning workout will just be grip work or KB presses when i get home. I'm really looking forward to buying rings for my garage in 2 weeks. Adding regular chinups/weighted chinups during my workday is going to add a lot of mass to my back and arms.

Also looking forward to seeing whether grease the groove works well with dropsets, or whether that incurs too much fatigue. The goal here would be to stop well before failure on heavier and lighter sets (as opposed to regular dropsets which are pathways to going beyond failure).

quick and the dead and gpp: final thoughts

Last post of this year. And what a god damn year.

- most sober year since 2004. This is not insignificant.

- met the woman i was meant to meet. Bought a house. Profit.

- dealt with knee and back injuries.

- recovered from knee and back injuries.

- pushed myself on a different path for training that is both sustainable and fun.

Segway. 

Im not done with squats and deadlifts and cleans and blah blah blah, but i dont need them anymore. Im coming to value aesthetics and absolute strength less than i value avoiding injury and cultivating speed. If im being honest with myself, i spent most of the last 5 years in some level of injury. The times i spent healthy were so wonderful i could scream. Likewise, the amount of time i actually spent happy with my body were minimal at best.

This is not me saying im taking it easy. It's the fuckin opposite. I want to lift every day. As i pointed out in a recent post, greasing the groove is the name of the game. Since i wrote that post, my avg reps per set are up 2-3. They are up 6-7 per set overall with just 3 weeks of practice!

Pillars for 2020:

Power training

- kettlebells, bodyweight

- quick and the dead

- simple and sinister

Grease the groove

- kettlebells, bodyweight

- oly ring work (pullups, muscle ups)

- kettlebell presses and curls

Loaded carries

- kettlebells, sleds

- suitcase carries, sled drags

There's no rubric on when to level up kettlebell weight. The absolute closest thing i have is how long it takes me to save up for one when dumping 20/week into a betterment fund. The heavier kettlebells will naturally take longer to save for.

Quick and the dead 5: 80 rep day

Felt a lot faster and more stable today. Keepin it up.

Reps per exercise: 80 (4 series)
Exercises: Two handed swing and fist pushups
Notes: Swings were fine. Pushups slowed down near the last few sets.

Greasing the Groove, not so fun discovery

This is not a pitfall, but definitely a point of interest.

My daily KB clean+press has a ton of lower back movement. Come my actual quick and the dead workout (snatches) my lower back was NOT OK with volume or power.

Clean+press is now going to be curl+press

Dark times

Greasing the Groove: Slowly accumulate volume

Grease the groove summary:
- Do not lift until failure
- Do not amp yourself up for a set
- Accumulate volume over time without building lactic acid or fatigue

I've only been playing around this with this method for a few weeks, but I'm definitely a fan.Since I quit the gym, my workouts have generally stuck in three(3) categories:
- Quick and the dead | Pavel meets pushups and swings
- Suitcase carries | Walk around the neighborhood with a single kettlebell
- Greasing the groove

The last item deserves some explanation. Searching online leads me to a lot of structured ideas. Every idea has a different idea on frequency (1 set every hour, do a bunch of tiny sets throughout a workout, etc) but they all agree on the same modality: do not lift until failure. Or do a little bit every so often. The way I'm able to do this working from home is by cleaning and pressing the same kettlebell whenever I want a quick break. How many reps I get per arm per set really doesn't matter. How often I actually do this doesn't matter. It's practice. Specifically, practicing with clean, fast reps.

Unlike something like reverse pyramid training, my goal is not to get X reps before I level up in weight. My goal is to be able to easily get X reps on average every time I pick up the bell. Although I focus on speed and form, I'm not amping myself up for any set. I'll gladly stop 1 or several reps short of failure. The weird shit is that it's working, and it's working really well.

Week 1 avg reps Kettlebell OHP: 2-3
Week 2 avg reps Kettlebell OHP: 3-5
Week 3 avg reps Kettlebell OHP: 4-7

This is without straining or counting reps/sets. I'm looking forward do getting sets of 10 to 20. Were the volume comes so easily that it only makes sense to get a heavier bell.