CJ Gotcher Log- "What is Best in Life"

[CJ Gotcher]

"Fare forward, you who think that you are voyaging;
You are not those who saw the harbour
Receding, or those who will disembark."

OCT 1

Light Day/GPP
Back Squat: 3X5@20KG, 2X3@20KG, 2X3@40KG, 3@60KG 1s, 4X3@80KG 1s+1
GPP: Kroc Rows: 5X15@60#, :30 rest between sets, total 7 minutes; L-Sit Holds: 10X :10/:20

Used our gym's small plyobox and 1" add-on with a cellphone camera to to test depth and, as I suspected, I'm going about 2 inches too deep into the hole for competition, and that's where my rounding starts. I'll be using these as targets on lighter weights from now on and practice the work sets without the box for practice. Still getting back into the swing of things.

[CJ Gotcher]

"The worst possible condition- diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain."

OCT 3

Warmup with 3X10 ballistic kettlebell swings and dynamic stretches.
BS: 3X5@20KG, 3@40, 60, 70+20#; | 2@90, 1@100; All at 110KG+12.5#: [6 RPE9 .45-.32m/s], [5 RPE9 .45-.31m/s] 5 RPE9.5
BP: 3X5@20KG, 2X5@40KG | 2@80KG, All at 80KG+12.5#: 6RPE9, 6RPE9-9.5, 5RPE9, 6RPE9-9.5, 5RPE9
DL: 3@80KG+10#, 110KG | 2@130KG, All at 140KG+22.5#: 3@RPE9, 3@RPE9
Total Time: 1:43

Still having stomach issues adjusting to the post-deployment diet changes, which interfered with keeping the rest periods short for the squat- still, not a bad day. Still squatting too deep by at least an inch- need to keep working on that before competition.

[CJ Gotcher]

"There are three fundamental concepts to always remember: environment, equipment, and methodology." - Chris Duffin

OCT 6

First half of the workout, split due to work hours- 0730:
WU with 3X10 dynamic KB Swings and 5X5 BS to target depth at 20KG
BS: 3@40KG, 60KG, 70+10#; 2X2@90KG, 1@110KG, All at 110KG+15#: 5R9*, 5R9*, 5R9.5
BP: 5, 3, 1 @60KG, All at 80KG+15#: 6R9, 6R9*, 5R9*, 5R9, 4R9.5

Second half- 1200:
WU with 5X10 dynamic KB Swings and 2X5 DL @60KG
DL: 5@90KG, 3@110KG, 2@110+20#, 1@140KG; All at 140KG+25#: 4R9*, 4R9.5, 3R9
Ruck Hike: 21:00, 55#, 4% incline, 3.5 mph, 1.21 miles

I kind of like the 'split workout,' and we'll see if I'm able to implement it more often as I get back into the USA schedule.

[CJ Gotcher]

"I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle." - T2

OCT 7

GPP Day

10 minutes W/U and mobility
---
5X12 'Kroc Rows' @65#, :30 rest
10X :10/:20 Hanging Leg Raise
8X6 chinups, :30 rest (2 sets broken)
5X7 BB Press @ 40KG, :30 rest
---
Versa-Climber: 10 minuts/1021 feet

Total gym time: 44:00

The increased volume from yesterday's 2-split and some short sleep hit me like a sack of bricks this morning. Don't want to kill myself for the seminar Friday, so I toned the weights down about 10% from planned.

[CJ Gotcher]

OCT 8

WU with KB Swings and 3X5 BS at 20KG
BS: 3@60; 2, 3 @80KG, AA 110KG+17.5: [5R8.5* .41m/s (3)-.32m/s (4)] [5R9 .42 m/s(1)-.3m/s(5)] [5R9.5 .4(1)- .28(5)] <4min rest
BP: 3X5@20KG, 3@60KG, 1@80KG, AA 80KG+17.5: 5R9.5, 5R9, 6R9, 5R9.5, 5R9.5 <3min rest

First squat work set was out to lunch- 3rd set was fastest, came too far forward on rep 4 (killing leg drive, slowing the rep, and stealing a rep from me). The m/s speeds for the squat come from a 3-D camera speed-measuring/replay system we have at our gym, and for the moment, I'm using them to track RPE/speed (if there's a linear comparison, and how they compare on days when I'm just feeling shitty). BP went well- good consistency and better back arch.

Skipped DL so as not to risk fatigue for the Level 2 Seminar this weekend. BW's coming back (after that disastrous 13LB deployment drop), so I'll start picking up the progression interval on the squat and DL to 5# for as long as I can sustain it in good form.

[CJ Gotcher]

SS Level 2 Seminar

11OCT:

BS: 5X45#, 5X135, 5X185, 5X225, 5X255, 5X235 (form was way off even at 225#, so I brought it down for the final)
DL: 5X2X75#, 5X135, 185, 245, 305, 335
PR: 5X45#, 75, 135, 155, 165F5

12OCT

PC: 3X45, 75, 115, 155, 3(+)X175 (failure to jump earned me some extra instructional reps from Rip)
BP: 5X45, 95, 135, 155, 175 (felt like I could have done 185, but Wolf wanted me to focus hard on hitting a higher touchpoint than I'm used to for every rep... and Wolf was right)

Press


Bench


Deadlift

[CJ Gotcher]

OCT 14

BS:
5X3X20KG
5X2X40
3X60, 80, 90KG
1X110KG
AA110KG+20#: 6R9, 6R9, 6R9.5 ; 5min RBS

BP:
5X2X20KG
5X60KG
1X2X80KG,
AA 80KG+20#: 6R9.5, 6R9, 6R9.5, 5R9.5

DL:
3X80KG, 110KG
5X140KG+30#

Squat improvements were primarily technique-based, fighting to keep the quads working to extend the knee and keep the hips back so as not to slip into an ATG squat. Feeling recovered from deployment- will start moving squats and deadlifts up by 5# again (up from 2.5) each and every workout for as long as I can. Finally figured out this Youtube thing and uploaded one of the warmup sets (3X90KG- the work sets were so powerful my phone errored out... or ran out of battery- whichever sounds cooler).

[Adam Skillin]

OCT 14

BS:
5X3X20KG
5X2X40
3X60, 80, 90KG
1X110KG
AA110KG+20#: 6R9, 6R9, 6R9.5 ; 5min RBS

BP:
5X2X20KG
5X60KG
1X2X80KG,
AA 80KG+20#: 6R9.5, 6R9, 6R9.5, 5R9.5

DL:
3X80KG, 110KG
5X140KG+30#

Squat improvements were primarily technique-based, fighting to keep the quads working to extend the knee and keep the hips back so as not to slip into an ATG squat. Feeling recovered from deployment- will start moving squats and deadlifts up by 5# again (up from 2.5) each and every workout for as long as I can. Took videos... will eventually figure out a smart way to get them uploaded.

Nice work, dude. Looks like you recovered from the long weekend without too much trouble. Cut those squats off above the grass, man!

[CJ Gotcher]

They're not ATG squats at all. They're high box squats... with the floor as my box. Yeah, definitely working on it- bad habits die hard.

[In response to a student asking if he should be heavier]- "Yeah, way heavier. You should be around 200, 205. Don't worry, the girls will still [screw] you." - Rip

16OCT14
BS: 5X3X20KG,
5X2X40KG
3X60, 80, 90
2X90
1X100
AA 110KG+25#: 5R8, 5R8.5, 5R9*; 5MIN RBS

BP: 5X3X20KG
5X60KG
3X80KG
AA80KG+22.5#: 5R8*, 6R9, 6R9, 5R9, 6R9.5; 4MIN RBS

DL: 5X80KG
3X110KG
2X1X140KG (something didn't feel right on the first set- corrected)
5X140KG+35# - 5MIN rest lead-in

1:32 TGT

Squat form felt off. The 'knees-out' were better, but trying to keep the weight over the midfoot rather than the heels like before, I kept shifting to the toes. BP and DL felt solid- good technique on each and I'm not tapping the safety bar on the BP half as much despite greater reps and weight (means I'm keeping my chest forward). I'd rather not have to worry about it, but I'm dealing with 3" spacing between risers on this rack. Next time, I might set it one lower and add a 'spacer' on top of the safety bar so it's not so high.

[CJ Gotcher]

17OCT14

Unfortunately, those of us in the world's finest Navy have to do the Physical Readiness Test every once in a great while. Today was my day.

2:00 Situps: 101
2:00 Pushups: 85
1.5 Mile Run: 9:28

I could have done more pushups/situps, but those were already over max numbers for my age. I was thinking of sandbagging the run in prep for tomorrow's lifts (I only have to run 14:00 to pass and my legs felt like lead from yesterday), but my CO laid down the gauntlet and called all the officers out to beat him (he is, after all, 42), so I damn sure wasn't going to let him win. Besides, he promised hellfire and damnation to any SEAL who lost to him or one of the non-SEALS (ie: me and our Intel Officer), and the thought of that was just too amusing to not fight for it.

So despite not having run a single mile in almost 6 months (just rows and rucks for occasional conditioning), I ran :17 seconds faster than my last PRT in April. Admittedly, I'm 5 lbs lighter due to deployment, but I serve as one testimonial to servicemembers who are afraid of strength training- it's not going to 'kill your run time' or 'make you sluggish,' and you're not going to fail the BCA (height/weight/BF%) test if you don't go full retard on your diet.