Sat, Sun, Squats

Saturday I finished up my tattoo. Two sessions and it's now complete!!!

I was posted to 435 Transport and Rescue Squadron Feb 1999. I've only worked on the CC130 Hercules durring my 24 years in the Canadian Armed Forces. This November we will be saying goodbye to the greatest aircraft the Royal Canadian Airforce has ever flown. To pay honour to an aircraft and a squadron that have done so much for Canadians I created and got this tattoo. It depicts CC130339 as it clears the trees during either a SAR mission, OP LENTUS or Northern Sovereignty AAR. At the top is the squadron crest with "Chinthe" at it's center. At the bottom is the 435 Sqn motto, "Certi Provehendi" translated "Determined to Deliver".

Artist: Daria from Odin's Eye Tattoo on Portage Ave. Thank you Daria for bringing this to life.

Sunday I relaxed a bit. Fixed my chair by replacing it's casters, went for a flight of beer and did minimal exercise.

Rebounding - 30 minutes.

Bent Over Axle Rows - 3 sets/12 reps/115lbs.

Light Stretches 

Today after work I made up for being lazy.

Rebounding - 20 minutes (warm up).

Leg Swings and Dynamic Stretches.

Squats - bar/6 reps, 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, (belt and knee sleeves) 405lbs/1 rep, 405lbs/2 reps, 425lbs/1 rep.

Static Stretches.

I left a little in the tank. 435lbs was definetly there or 405lbs for a second double or tripple. Strength is coming back.

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

Yesterday I had dental and lots to do at work. This morning was an early start because we needed to provide a plane for the 2026 United Way Charity Plane Pull. 40 teams of twenty pullers. Huge success.

Once home I got out to the garage for some Bench Press.

Rebounding - 75 minutes.

Bench Press - 3 sets/12 reps/135lbs, 2 sets/12 reps/225lbs, 3 sets/4,3,3 reps/315lbs.

High Cable Rows - 50kg/16reps, 60kg/16 reps.

Happy with 315lbs for 4. The high cable rows really felt good and burned.

Snowdaddy

Squats

My back has been bugging me since Sunday. I called in sick because of it on Monday. A couple of days of pills and I feel a little better. Some light Squats are in order.

Rebounding - 30 minutes.

Squats - bar/6 reps, 2 sets/6 reps/135lbs, 225lbs/6 reps.

I'm doing this before going into work. Now it's running late and I gotta go to work. At work it was organized PT. I then spent an hour doing various exercises at 1400hrs.

Snowdaddy

Inclined Axle Press

Had an outstanding evening yesterday with my friends. Beer tasting was the agenda. We sampled 43 different beers. A new record for me. 40 of these I haven't had before.

Today, back on track training.

Rebounding - 60 minutes.

Inclined Axle Press - bar (25lbs)/12 reps, 2 sets/12 reps/115lbs, 2 sets/12 reps/165lbs, 2 sets/12 reps/205lbs.

Dumbell Side Laterals - 2 sets/12 reps/15lbs.

Static Stretches.

Theragun.

Not much to say. Good training. Feeling strong.

Keeping Busy

We have an "Event" to go to this afternoon. I want to get some training in before.

Rebounding - 90 minutes.

Kettlebell Swings - 5 sets/20 reps/40lbs.

High Cable Rows - 4 sets/12,12,16,20 reps/50kg.

Cable Triceps Ext - 4 sets/12,12,16,20 reps/20,25,30,30,30kg.

Static Stretches.

A bit stiff and sore after Deadlifts yesterday. Feeling really good lately. Tonight we're gonna enjoy some great friends, great food and great beer.

Snowdaddy

Deadlifts

I took yesterday off. My body didn't like it. I'm so used to doing something every day. Yesterday evening I was fidgity and uneasy.

Today I went to bldg 90 and did some Deadlifts.

Kettlebell Swings - 35lbs/20 reps.

Deadlifts - 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/1 rep, 4 sets/1,1,2,3 reps/405lbs.

WG Lat Pull Downs - 2 sets/12 reps/100,130lbs.

At the point I had to pick up my lovely wife and drive home. Once home I did a little more.

Rebounding - 40 minutes.

Lying Leg Raises - 5 sets/15 reps.

Now it's time for dinner and wind down for the week end.

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

After work I cut the grass. Today was one of the very few days it hasn't been raining. Cutting the grass served as a good warm up before training.

Light Stretches.

Bench Press - 2 sets/12 reps/135lbs, 2 sets/10 reps/225lbs, 2 sets/3 reps/315lbs.

Fat Bar High Rows - 3 sets/12 reps/50kg.

Upper Body Static Stretches.

Solid benching today. Best I've done it quite some time. The fat bar from Bells Of Steel is a new FB Market Place purchase. I'm surprised how much it isolated my back while getting a really awesome forearm pump.

I've been commenting on my sleep lately. With the CPAP machine I've been getting a decent amount of deep sleep acording to my watch. I feel the difference in my body. Not only do I feel rested but I also feel more muscular, stronger and able to handle more weights. I know it's only been a short time but I know my body and I do feel better all around.

Snowdaddy

Squats

To motivate my Squats after work today I did a live stream TikTok. I never get many viewers but it still holds me accountable. Ha! Here's how it went.

Rebounding - 30 minutes.

Leg Swings and Dynamic Stretches.

Squats - bar/10 reps, 135lbs/8 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/8 reps, 3 sets/1 rep/405lbs.

Static Stretches.

405lbs felt solid for the three singles but I feel would have burry me for the second rep. Good progress. Feeling capable of squatting some big numbers this December for the CAF Westerns in Moose Jaw.

Snowdaddy

Vets and Wet

Yesterday I was going to cut the lawn and train. However, my cat had other plans and we spent 10hrs at the vets waiting for her to be treated. Eventhough we spent the day sitting it was exhausting. Good news is it isn't very serious.

While there we had a severe rain storm and lots of places in the city were flooded. Fortunately, we were alright.

I was going to train today and cut the lawn. Training got done but it wasn't done raining. Oh well, another day. Here's how training went.

Rebounding - 75 minutes.

Seated Log Press - 70lbs/12 reps, 3 sets/6,10 10 reps/160lbs.

Inclined Bench Laterals - 3 sets/12 reps/15lbs.

Static Stretches.

Pretty good shoulder pump. Feeling good and healthy. My sleeps are much better now. Not quite 1.5hrs of deep sleep the last two nights. Feeling well rested.

Snowdaddy

Tattoo

Yesterday I didn't train. Instead I went to get a tattoo. I don't post much about my career but it's given me everything important in my life. Primarily it's given me my wife and then my kids. It's also given me then means to enjoy life and travel the world. I'm a CC130 Hercules mechanic. The H model Hercs in Canada will be retired this November. It's a huge honour to say goodbye to these amazing aircraft. For over 60 years they have been serving Canadians domestic and abroad. It can't be measured how much they have done. I am getting a tattoo to show my respect. The first session is complete. 19 September is session two. Here's what it looks like so far.

As per directions I'm not alowed to push it too hard for the next five days. Sounds like a good day for some easy cardio and mobility work.

Rebounding - 2 hours.

Static Stretches and Thera Gun.

Burning lots of calories. Time for some lunch and enjoy the rest of the day.

Snowdaddy

Squats

Now the FORCE test is successfully complete it's time to get my Powerlifting game going. Squats are on the menu.

Rebounding - 30 minutes.

Squats - bar/6 reps, 135lbs/6 reps, 225lbs/6 reps, 315lbs/6 reps, 365lbs/3 reps.

Static Stretches.

This is a good starting point to build on. Feeling good.

Snowdaddy

FORCE Test... Finally

My original scheduled test was almost a month ago. Today, it's done and dusted.

Walk - 30 minutes.

Helps to settle my nerves and aids my warm ups before the PSP lead warm ups.

20m Rushes - 46.0

Sandbag Lifts - 1:39.0

Intermittant Ladden Shuttle - 4:23.1

Sandbag Drag - 20.4

I'm pleased with my overall result. My overall score is slightly higher than last year. I'm really pleased with the 20m Rushes. I beat last year's time by 1.5 sec. The next two exercises I really didn't try my hardest. The times show that and are slower than last year. The Sandbag Drag however, was 7.5 sec faster than last year. The main objective is complete and I can continue being a strongman and employed. Ya me!!!

Snowdaddy

High Rows

With my FORCE test tomorrow I want to stay a little busy but not mess with my prep.

Rebounding - 30 minutes.

High Cable Rows - 5 sets/50kg/12,12,12,15,20 reps.

Feeling good and ready for the test. My nerves are killing me. Stage fright, pre competitive anxiety is something I really need to work on.

Oh ya! Today is my Birthday. Too bad about tomorrow otherwise today would have been an epic training day.

PS. I also just completed my second 28 day 10k steps. So thats 56 consecutive days of at least 10k steps. For the month of August I actually averaged 12,362 steps. New monthly record.

Snowdaddy

Axle Press

Out to the driveway to press the Axle.

Rebounding - 60 minutes.

Axle Press - bar/12 reps, 3 sets/6 reps/115lbs, 2 sets/6,12 reps/145lbs.

Dumbbell Side Laterals - 3 sets/12 reps/20lbs.

Last set of presses I treaded like an AMRAP. Good work out.

Snowdaddy

Squats

Squats in the driveway. Pulled my squat stands out. I procrastinated a bit and ran out of time. I would have done more.

Rebounding - 60 minutes.

Squats - bar/6 reps, 135lbs/6 reps, 3 sets/6 reps/225lbs.

Not heavy because I don't want to mess up my progress for the FORCE test. These all felt really solid. After the FORCE test is done I'm putting weight on the bar.

Snowdaddy

Walking to Appointment

Today I had a specialist appointment fairly nearby my home. I decided to walk.

Glad I did.

Snowdaddy

FORCE test Trial

Not the full FORCE test. Just the portion that causes me the most difficulty and anxiety. I left work earlier to get warmed up and calm down. I walked around the gym for about 15 minutes to prepare.

Rushes - 46 Seconds.

I'm so pleased that the work is paying off. 46 seconds is my best time so far. Since being back. I didn't go sideways either. This gives me an extra five seconds to play with. My FORCE test is this upcoming Wednesday. I now feel confident I'll pass. After that I'll start training for the CAF Powerlifting Westerns this December. My conditioning is better than last year this time. I'm looking forward to getting STRONG again.

Snowdaddy

Rebounding and Running Inplace

Still getting ready for next week. 

Rebounding - 60 minutes.

Running Inplace - 4 sets/200 steps.

Static Stretches.

My first two sets of 200 steps was straight. The second two were done with more mobility in mind stepping in and out. Pretty good idea if I do say so myself.

Snowdaddy

Skipping and Burpies

Home from work early to do PT. Getting ready for my FORCE test next week.

Rebounding - 60 minutes.

Skipping/Burpies - 25/4, 50/8, 50/4, 50/4 reps.

Static Stretches.

This really got my heart rate up. Good stuff for a big fat guy.

Snowdaddy

Bench Press

Last night we went to a good friend's for dinner. We got home around 2300hrs. I was 4k short on my steps to 10k. I got to work rebounding and finally made it to bed at 2350hrs. Step count complete.

This morning I was at the Western Canadian Aviation Museum showing off my airplane. I had a good time answering questions from the public. Several hundred people came by in the 4 hours I was there.

This afternoon after some lunch I got to work.

Rebounding - 80 minutes.

Bench Press - 2 sets/12 reps/135lbs, 2 sets/12,6 reps/225lbs, 3 sets/1,2,1 reps/315lbs.

WG High Cable Rows - 3 sets/12 reps/50,55,60lbs.

Good training. My left elbow is a bit sketchy but ok. I have an appointment for it next month.

Snowdaddy