New Year's Eve Ruck

well new years eve afternoon ruck.

Beautiful crisp but not cold perfect day.

A quick six laps and getting ready for 2016 and all kinds of exciting new things!

45 lb ruck
6 laps
:55 min
8:05 3rd lap
7:55 6th lap

legs felt weird today from yesterday. took me 5 laps to get back in my groove lol.

BW 164.2
BF 12.3 ??
W 57.4

have not idea why

datsit
Neverquit

Happy Freakin' New Year!

24 kg Speed Swings, 15 min, Sandbag walking lunges,parallel pushups, side delts

Another seriously strong speed session. Went in well prepared mentally, which is really the key. Spending the 30 min drive home from work to the gym focused on it and mentally rehearsing has made a major difference

Cold as hell in the meatlocker, I mean garage today :) It was WAY warmer outside but so it goes. I started with a cap and a shirt on. It took about 3 minutes for them to go away. Who needs a sauna for heat shock therapy when you have max Vo2?

Very good power output the whole time and I barely had to double breath at all. The least amount used in this long a workout for sure. Good sign my conditioning is getting much better. If I can HS breathe my stability will be higher as well as my force production. and power. Everything is coming along just as I had hoped.

It just takes so stinkin' long :)

24 kg Speed Swing vo2
15:15 10 rep sets
30 sets
300 reps
15,900 lbs work

back felt fine the entire time. Had a great full body hour long stretchout this morning and that really helped.
Heel is ALMOST to butt. SO CLOSE but so far away. Plenty of knee ROM so I'm not complaining just thought I would hit that goal by now.

Sandbag walking lunges
30 lb bag  x 5 laps of 20 ft

this is STILL tough ,lol! do these things ever get easy in ANY configuration? Doing them with greater quality as I only have one lap to do but man they feel almost the same as two bw laps!!!

Parallel pushups
4 sets of 20

some kind of shoulder flexibility shift I can get lower into the pushup( more shoulder extension at bottom) than ever before. Just like being able to touch my nose to the deck in flat pushups.

Have to say that nothing screwed my shoulders up more than being good at the bench! all that excessive arching, rhomboid adduction and pressing without using the scapula AT ALL really will mess up your shoulder ROM, especially overhead and jack up your motor patterns.

It's taking so long to unfuck that. But it's finally coming. The scapula HAS to move , and well, for the shoulder to work correctly

side delts
3 sets of 15-12 with 15 lbs

finally getting some meat on the shoulder. about time

ok ruckout tomorrow, can't wait and then 10 sets of 9/9 in the Beast swing. I have half thoughts of just testing and doing 10 sets of 10/10 as a  end of year thing. Don't think so but maybe.:-)

datsit
neverquit

The Way by Musashi

1. Accept everything just the way it is.
2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.
6. Do not regret what you have done.
7. Never be jealous.
8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
11. In all things have no preferences.
12. Be indifferent to where you live.
13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
15. Do not act following customary beliefs.
16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
17. Do not fear death.
18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
21. Never stray from the Way.”
~ Miyamoto Musashi

95 lb Military press, 48 kg belt squat, floor pushups, crawls, rear delts

Strangely strong press day. Decided to back off to 80% load today( 95 lbs) and it couldn't have worked out better. I like to back off to move forward by using the lighter workload to really hone in on the details of position, form, mechanics and control.
This went perfectly today and right from the start I got the bar to touch my upper chest which I have not been able to do since I started this training! AND it made it so much easier to press,lol. Go figure.

But the position just showed up!  I always try to see how low it will go and today it just went! even on take off. Crazy. Plus my lockout was much better too.
Cold as hell again today never really got warmed up til the presses were over but it was a solid workout

Military press
 stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
85 x 4
95 x 5 x 6 sets

strong!

48 kg belt squats
4 sets of 12 strong although right sartorious was a little tight from yesterdays ruck. thought I got it all out but guess not. more rolling

Floor pushups
3 sets of 20
1 set of 15

also lower and best shoulder ROM ever/ touched nose to floor on each and every rep. never did that before.something clicked. about freakin time

Crawls
3 laps of 60 feet
also strong!

rear delts
3 sets of 15 with 12 lbs


ok off tomorrow then 15 min of speed swings on wed

datsit
neverquit

Cold Ruck

 A frosty 31 degrees at 7 am when we started out ruck! Brisk , thats for sure but not bad at all when you dress for it . I put on a zip up windbreaker over my t and I was good to go. Beanie and gloves came off after three laps when I started to sweat.

Not bad either. though I would be more stiff but was good. Started steady and got faster as we went. Last lap was fastest too.

50 lb Ruck weight
12 laps
1 hr 55 min
5 iso squats ( really needed these to stretch out the glutes and legs )
5th lap 8:10
7th lap 8:00
12 th lap 7:47

stretched out first which did seem to help.

BW 164.4
BF 13 %
W 56.4

ok presses tomorrow but a back off week probably 80% ( 95 lbs)

datsit
neverquit

44 kg One Arm swings,115 lb barbell hacks,sandbag pushups, curls and laterals

Ok this is supposed to be an easy week; a downweek before next week's 48kg workout.So never more than 5/5 rep sets but it was COLD in the garage this morning, 35 degrees cold and it took forever to warmup. Skipped my bath too, for some reason and it cost me.Won't happen again. Strong workout overall though. Nice to see the 44 flying up to chest height.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
36 kg x 5/5
44 kg x 5/5 x 12 sets
120 reps
11,640 lbs

Barbell Hacks


just wasn't in to mood for too many reps :)
55 x 10
75 x 10
95 x 8
115 x 5 x 2
serious quad work tho

Sandbag pushups
bw x 8
30 lbs x 12 x 3 sets
           x 8

these were hard today for some reason

Curls
45 x 8 x 4 sets

side laterals
4 sets of 12 with 12 lbs


ok ruck up tomorrow.
as long as it's not storming were going

datsit
neverquit

Calf ruck

Weird weird weather. El Nino strikes and we have warm and wet and cold weather almost changing by the minute.Got home today ready to ruck and it was storming. So I made some lunch  and watched the sky turn to sunshine!
Tracy had put something in the oven so someone had to stay home so she went out for a ruck and I expected it to be a loss for the day.

It rained on her but when she got home it cleared so I chanced it and went out full belly and all.
Started slow and the soft sand I walk in around the park had turned to slush so my calves immediately protested.

And my legs started yacking at me too from the swings and the weighted lunges! Luckily my salomon GTX boots really are goretex and my feet stayed dry . Really love these shoes and they are breaking in perfectly and holding up magnificently as well.

I was actually happy when it started to rain four laps in as I really ate too much to push the pace much and I still hadn't 'warmed' up.

I planned on walking home on lap five but then I warmed up , my legs loosened up and I wasn't cold. just wet so I got it done on six laps

Hard one

46 lb Ruck
6 laps
55 minutes
3rd lap 8:20
6th lap :7:55

weird ruck but got it done

BW 165.2
BF 12.4
W 57.3

still weird. still feel big, lean, and pumped most of the time

datsit
neverquit

24 kg Speed Swings, 17 min, Sandbag walking lunges,parallel bar pushups,side delt

Surprisingly strong day! good sleep and food yesterday and that helps. Also, good mental prep on the way in as well as a full one hour stretchout first thing this morning and that always helps



I had to get off the platform three times to adjust the music and once to pick up spilled chalk, something that normally would kill my recovery for the next set especially in a workout this long but I was fine.

Went in with my lower back just a bit tight and was worried about that kicking in but it got looser as I went! Very surprised.
Also did NOT look at the clock until that point in the video above and barely did Any double breathing. Things are shaping up. Literally

Speed swings
24 kg
34 sets of 10 17 min
15;15
340 reps
18.020 lbs

very happy, next week is twelve min then back up to 20. should be NO problem. More and more the focus and intent is maintaining the highest per rep power out put as possible as long as possible

Sandbag walking lunges
bw x 40 steps
30 lb sandbag x 20 steps walk back to start sandbag shouldered
4 laps

THAT was hard but it will help. Next week 5-6 laps. 8 will be the equivalent of 4 rep laps

Parallel bar pushups
4 sets of 20
80 reps

no problem
even started slowing down the reps to make them harder ( except for last set- a sprint!)

side delts
3 sets of 12 with 15 lbs

awesome session

BW 164.4 !
BF 12.9
W 56.4 ?

feel hard and lean and love handles are still melting.

ruck up tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

120 lb Military Press PR, 44 kg belt squat, Floor pushups PR, crawls, rear delts

This was a solid pr especially since I had zero "zip" for the workout today. Not sure why but it was just another day at the office for me today. More achy today than I have been for a long time. Not enough morning stretchout of late and I can feel it.
Plus the weather has really turned to rainy cold winter for the first time in three years so I can feel that too. Low barometer :)
Thought I was past that but there it is, tight and achy. But that's why they call it working out.

Military Press
stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
85 x 4
105 x 3
120 x 4 x 5 sets PR!!

not bad except for my left bicep tendon not wanting to stay where it's supposed to for a couple setups but the press didn't feel hard at all. Definitely ready for it. 5 x 5 will go soon too.

Belt squats
44 kg x 12 x 4 sets

nice. unbroken reps( shorter rom because of the bigger bell but still below parallel) and legs felt strong

Floor pushup
3 x 25
1 x 28!! PR

 108 total reps is the most ever! strong too. Strength could have gotten me 30 on the last set but I felt the left shoulder start to begin to get clunky so I stopped. More for later

Crawls
3 sets of 60 feet in the rain :)

these felt the best of late! that's crazy

rear delts
3 sets of 15 with 15 lbs

this was a solid workout. Body was into it mind was the issue. SO the work was focus today and all in all ended up much better than the start

off tomorrow then 17 min of speed swings Wednesday!

BW 165.2
BF 12.7
W 57.3

datsit
neverquit

Leg Ruck

Forgot to post this last night but we did it on Sunday on time.

Legs were talking to me from the get go! No problems just tired from the work last week. All good though

Ruck
50 lbs
12 laps
1:55 min ( took a long way home finished laps in 1:50!)
6 iso squats ( one extra to stretch legs! )
 Nice and brisk 40 degrees out. Perfect!

BW 165.2
BF 12.5
W 56.8

Still under 30 gms of carbs per day. Feel great on many levels, VERY anabolic, lean, hard strong and endurance is good. Just wondering why weight is still up? I am eating a lot but not more than usual in terms of volume.Must be the calorically dense fats
BUT I am leaner even in the mirror and around the waist

40 kg One Arm Swing PR, Hack squats,Horiz pushups,bar curls,side delts

Super freaking strong today. This was the best 40 kg effort ever. I was going to do just seven sets of 9/9 but all ten was no problem so that's what we did.
Bell felt light, power was good, wind was solid and recovery between sets fast.
Very nice

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
40 kg x 9/9 x 10 sets
180 reps PR
15,840 lbs work

time to re take that five min test with the 40 again! this time 10 reps on the 15 seconds. just ten sets of ten. No problem I never made it last time, just 95 reps! It was a battle that I was really not prepared for. I can really tell how much progress I have made in strength, power and conditioning as I watch this. SHit, this is a YEAR ago!!

Hack squats
55 lbs x 12
75 lbs x 12 x 3

did these slower and deeper! what a burn!

bar curls
35 x 10
47 x 8 x 2

tiny little bicep weight :)

Horiz bar pushups with 30 lb sandbag
3 sets of 12 , 12 10

hard ,lol

standing side delts
3 x 15 with 12 lbs

lighter felt good. bigger ROM and more strict. great shoulder work. this is SO much better shoulder movement and stability than when I first started these.it was awful nothing worked together at all

ok big ruck tomorrow. back to 50 lbs weight and two hours. missed it last week!

BW 165
BF 11.7% ??
W 57.4


datsit
neverquit

Hard Ruck

Yesterday must've taken more out of my legs than I thought, today's ruck was pretty tough from the start. Legs felt heavy and tight despite a lot of AM stretching. No big deal but I could sure tell I missed  a few sessions and came back hard, lol

Ruck weight was down to 45 which was feeling light just a few times ago. And will again.it's amazing how fast the top end of conditioning falls off. The base stays deep but the top end ....

45 lb Ruck
6 laps
55 min
3rd lap = 8:07 ( not bad)

BW 163.6 !
BF 12.4
W 57.5

this was a surprise but I did have a tough workout yesterday

after ruck

bw 162.4
bf 11.9
  ok day off then LOTS of 40 kg rep on sat

datsit
neverquit

24 kg speed swings,12 min,walking lunges,parallel pushups, rear delts

Just an easy 12 minutes on the schedule and it turned out to be. Today's goal was not to look at the clock as long as possible. Just do the ritual, set up , breath and go. Worked great. Didn't have to double breath until just a few reps at the very end and only at the top of the rep, not the hole. My head was in the game today and the focus was good

Was able to really maintain a high power output the whole time. This is a good sign my conditioning is improving. Having the right focus in so important

24 kg Speed Swings
15;15 10 reps
12 minutes
240 reps
12, 720 lbs

Walking lunges
 4 laps of 40 steps

man this never gets easy! it's tolerable but my quads just burn! I' grateful for it but I might need some shorter sandbag workouts to increase top end strength and see if that makes these easier

Parallel pushps
20
20
18
15

73 total reps. everything is pumping up today.lol. big tricep burn

db rear delts
3 sets of 15 with 15's

even these are strong

BW 164.4
BF 12.0
W 57.4

feel lean too

ok ruck it tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

100 lb Military press, 40 kg belt squat, floor pushups, crawls, side delt

Fresh off the plane from the Seacoast kettlebell BodyMaintenance workshop so I decided to back off as appropriate.
Things went great and there was more sitting around ( Friday and Sunday travelling) than moving ( saturday) but that was fine. Nice rest and it also showed me that I can at last survive NOT constantly moving to self correct. I pretty much sat the entire ride(s) home on Sunday and was fine( back WAS starting to tighten up just at the end of the day) but best ever. I used to have to constantly stretch and move or  I would lock up like a big dog.

A little goes a long way now and that's fine with me. All the work DOES pay off and people don't have to mobilize and stretch excessively forever.Just enough to get them square plumb and neutral. But you gotta do the work

Military press
stick x clean and press x 5 x 2 ( getting ready)
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
75 x 3
85 x 3
95 x 5 x 2
100 x 5 x 3

very very strong and groove is holding. no major changes in months which is great. just work this position harder. The searching for your "groove" is the pain in the ass part. Just having to PUSH is not so bad :)

Belt squat
40 kg x 10 x 2
          x 12  x 2
 these were easier than expect. knee and ankle flexion feel SO good.

Floor pushups
4 sets of 20 easy peasy

this is SOP now

crawls
3 sets of 50 ft

strong

side delts
3 sets of 12 with 15

done done de done done

BW 164.4
BF 11.9 !
W 57.3!

weird. I hardly ate at ALL all weekend and tried to stay as fat based as possible. But even though I went over in carbs I was LOW in calories and thought I'd be lighter. but I could tell and see my BF was down and it was. water up too ( carbs I guess)
Low arbs ( not no) and low cals. No energy problems either
back on track today.

datsit
neverquit

Tough ruck

Was stinking sore in the legs today from yesterday's work. Didn't know that til I started the ruck. Decided to stay with 50 lb weight as I will miss Sunday's walk as I'll be flying back from the BodyMaintenance workshop on Saturday.

But I could feel my legs right away and they really didn't let up til the last two laps.

50 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min
8:05 3rd lap

Good times and I'm off to Seacoast kettlebell tomorrow at 6 am!

24 kg Speed Swing-20 min, walking lunges, parallel bar pushups, rear delts

This was good. Hard but strong the whole way through. And my mind did not get the best of me.Well not until about halfway through but then I got it back  under control
Good drive home mental prep. no phone calls no radio. Just focus on the task ahead and calming down for it.
Body is good and got some decent bodymaintence stretch and roll before work this am. plus lots of squats and hunter squats throughout the day as well as my seiza work

Speed swings
24 kg
15;15 x 10 rep sets
40 sets
20 minutes
 400 reps
21,200 lbs!! love this number

Didn't even look up at the clock til almost 10 minutes in. Should have waited longer.Kept telling myself 'don't think, breathe'.
It worked well except for a few minutes between 11 and 14 min in when I started trying to figure out how much work I had less. I let that go pretty quickly and got back into my rhythm: one rep at a time one breath at a time. do your best. set it down, click off the set on the counter, chalk the hand for the next set, deep breath and calm, step to the bell, look for the 7 count then 3,2,1 grab and go

that worked very very well> Lower back got tired at 13 minute but I adjusted my groove a little and that loosened up. Did almost no double breathing and that says a lot.

this is just another day now. perfect
power and speed were good too and technique held up. kept my head up and gaze up almost all the reps too. just happened and I went with it.

walking lunges
4 sets of 40 steps. hard but strong too. these just suck but I love em

parallel pushups
4 sets of 20

solid and upper body is really growing well

db rear delts
3 sets of 12 -15 with 15 lbs
can't believe I used to do 20 sets of rear delt work ,lol  crazy days

ok ruck up tomorrow then off to New Hampshire and Seacoast Kettlebells for my BodyMaintenance workshop. We have 25 people!! this is very exciting.

datsit
neverquit

120 lb Mil Press pr, 36 kg belt squats,floor pushups, crawls, side delts

Right on through with this progression as well. the first two sets were a little rough as I wasn't bringing my left elbow in enough and I could feel my tricep again. that's why I only did two sets of four ,Once I realized and correctly that the next two sets of threes were much better so I did a third set of four on the last set( video above)

I just feel strong here too and my shoulders are cooperating. For better or worse this is my current groove and it's strong.

Mil Press
stick press x 5 x 2
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
85 x 4
100 x 2
120 x 4 x 2 PR
       x 3 x 2
       x 4 x 1

Belt squats
 36 kg x 12 x 4

strong too! getting more ankle flexion all the time

Floor pushups
30
28
18
15

lol I tried. too much pump in tri's!

91 reps!

Crawls
3 sets of 50 ft

steady

Side delts
3 x 12 x 15 lbs

these are definitely getting stronger and shoulders are thicker too. this is definitely an important stabilizer

ok twenty minute swing session on wednesday , got to get ready mentally

datsit
neverquit

STRONG RUCK

Wow this was another seriously strong day. Ended up a full ten minutes early, that's a serious pr. Started out slowly too but we picked up speed
Ruck weight was 50 lbs but it felt like nothing.That's the goal

Ruck 50 lbs
12 laps
1 hr 50 min
3rd lap= 8;20
7th lap= 8;10
11th lap= 8:00
5 iso squats

legs not sore back not tight.
I do think the keto diet has kicked in too.

BW 163.4
BF 13%
W 55.8 %

ok a few sets of 4 with 120 tomorrow then 3 sets of 3 in the press. If I'm lucky

datsit
neverquit

32 kg One arm swings, hack squats, wt pushups bar curls and rear delts

had to skip ruck on Thursday as it was just raining too hard to make sense. tomorrow though rain or shine
I was surprisingly sore from Wednesdays little impromptu swing test with the 28; I must have been moving it faster than expected. My lats and upper back were seriously worked.
But everything was great today and the 32 was the strongest, and most powerful ever. Even the 24 reps per set didn't bother my wind at all and recovery between sets was strong and fast.

One arm swings
16 x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 12/12 x 10
240 reps
16, 800 lbs

Barbell hacks
55 x 10
75 x 10 x 3

the close stance knees moving groove is still working.

Horiz bar pushups, 30 lb sandbag
3 sets of 12

36 reps

bar curls/ band rear delts
3 x 8 3 x 12

ok datsit
the fat adaptation is beginning to kick in. less hunger and more satiation

BW 163.2
BF 12.8
W 56.2

ruck up tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

28 kg speed swings, walking lunges,parallel bar pushups,rear delts

Interesting experiment today. Never did speed work with anything but the 24 kg but since it is the download 10 minute week to prepare for next weeks 20 min  peak and we feel so damn strong and recovered , Glenn and I decided to do the ten minutes with the heavier bell.
The key was not just to survive it but still keep the power high.

It went very well on many levels despite a few mishaps. Mentally I was there but it was definitely heavier than expected and I was a bit more sore in the upper body from Mondays press pr and it took awhile to warmup
Not as cold as before but not even close to warm
And, I ended up with some baby powder on my hands which I thought I fully washed off but still had enough residue to make the bell just a tad slippery.
Not the best thing with a heavy bell for speed work
But it still was only ten minutes and that is nothing now when before it was 10 minutes too long !

So speed and power were good as was wind ( no double breathing til the last 1.5 minutes.) and I didn't feel at all like I did when I tested with the 32. That would be harder now but nowhere near as hard as before. A good sign of progress

It's good to feel now that I can suffer for ten minutes no problem. the 20 minutes sessions have done their job

Speed swings
28 kg
15:15
20 sets of 10
200 reps
12.600 lbs

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40

these kicked my ass. Had to use more leg in the swings to make sure my back didn't load and it showed up here. Nice

Parallel pushups
20
20
15

pecs and shoulders are tired

db rear delts
3 sets of 15 with 12 lbs

ok ruck up tomorrow with 50 lbs and see how short and heavy feels

datsit
neverquit

120 lb Military Press PR, 32 kg belt squat, floor pushups. crawls, laterals

SUPER strong again today. Nice.and again the joints didn't hurt much at all even considering it's still freezing out here and I've hit it hard for the last two days.
The new groove is working very well. Leanback is the cue and focus. The just tighten the glutes and hold them tight, that's the base. then it's a strong press and I feel like I'm under the bar the whole time. Just a nice straight line press.
I'm thinking standing incline.

Mil Press
 stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
100 x 2
120 x 3 x 5 sets! PR

no problem at all. Short rests too. Just felt good. I can make those bigger jumps when the body isn't aching and the groove is right. about freakin' time

Belt squat
32 kg x 15 x 4

again, silly strong. the knee is bending better than ever and I'm really moving this from the ankle. great front and lower quad pump and work. both knees feel great

Floor pushups
4 sets of 22

88 total reps
easy too

Crawls
 3 laps of 55 ft

strong but these are always tough

db laterals
3 sets of 15, 12 ,12 with 15 lbs


so glad I do these they are totally necessary to balance out the shoulders. should have never stopped

bw 165.2 ( low carbs but LOTS of calories yesteday :) )
bf 12.9%
W 56.3%

strange combo there. But I do now sub q body fat is definitely coming down even though the weight and the bf% don't show it. but we'll see. I'm not going keto to lose weight.


ok day off tomorrow then an easy speed swing on wed getting ready for 20 min next week

datsit
neverquit

Sunday ruck : super strong and fast

This was a surprise as well. Not only strong but fast.
Very cold out this morning ( 34 deg) and clear. Made adjustments and wore a long sleeve shirt :) Once I get going the only thing's that cold are my arms.
But no residual anything from yesterdays Pr with the Beast. First time that's ever happened. We started out very slow but each lap got faster and faster finishing with close to a PR lap!
I'm keeping the pack weight at 50 lbs on Sunday now, I may up Thursday weight; make sense- short and heavy rather than long and heavy but we'll see.
Suffice to say my high fat low carb diet is not hurting my strength endurance OR recovery but it's a big surprise to me, actually.

Ruck
50 lbs
12 laps
5 iso squats
1 hour 52 minutes ( pr)
3rd lap= 8:24
5th lap= 8:10
7th lap 8:00
9th lap 7:55
11th lap: 7:45!!

and considering what I did yesterday I'm even more amazed. Love it

tomorrow will be 120 lb presses hopefully for 5 sets of 3 old pr is 5 sets of 2

datsit
neverquit

One arm swings 48 kg PR 174, hack squats,wt pushups, curls rear delts

Tough one but not as bad as I expected. It was seriously cold in the meatlocker, I mean gym this morning. Like 34 degrees cold. Started my pre workout hot bath passive warmup( drought be damned) and it worked like a charm
Only problem was is that the bell did not take a bath and the handle was a metal ice cube. It normally doesn't bother me but it just makes gripping that beast 'that' much harder and the first few sets were tough because of that.
Plus doing 9's is serious wind work and Nick and I were both huffing and puffing right away. It's good though, that the stress was on our cardio but not our strength.
We went fast too. not quite I go you go fast but probably 1:1.5 fast. Fast enough :)
But it was good that we could, too.
Definitely in the strongest strength cardio shape I've been in in 20 years. And that's really nice.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
40 kg x 5/5
48 kg x 9/9 x 7 sets ( pr there)
          x 8/8 x 3 sets
174 reps PR
18, 444 lbs!

Seriously happy with this workload AND the bell height is the closest it's ever been to being a legal swing (i.e bottom of the bell above belt level).
No complaints whatsoever

Barbell hacks
55 x 12
75 x 12 x 4 sets
best ever. really focusing on knee and ankle flexion/ forward translation. solid lower quad pump

Wt Pushups ( 30 lbs sandbag )
3 sets of 12

DB curls
20 lbs x 4 sets of 8

Band rear delts
3 sets of 15

excellent!
bw 163.4
bf 12.9%
w 56.4%

ruck up tomorrow!

datsit
neverquit

Thanksgiving ruck

After that disaster Monday night I am even more thankful than usual for my health and ability to move like a normal human being again. And of course my beautiful wife and family, but that goes without saying.

I came back strong and today's ruck was fast and easy as well

Ruck
46 lb pack
Six laps
55  min total time
3rd lap= 8:10
5th lap = 8:00

 Bw  163.4
Bf 13.4 %
W 55. 6 %

ok one day off then a MEGA Beast workout 7 sets of 9/9 and 3 sets of 8/8

I am taking today off the keto diet and eating my bodyweight in stuffing, mashed potatoes and desserts. Perhaps some turkey too but that takes up so much space :0 )

datsit
neverquit

Speed swings 15 min, walking lunges,parallel pushups, rear delts

Well just when i was bragging how healthy I was , that night I came down with a bout of labryinthitis that made me think I was going to die. I went from being a little woozy to not being able to move AT ALL without the world totally spinning in about 30 min. I was literally stuck to the bed, face down and even moving my eyeballs made me completely disoriented.
Scared the living shit out of me.

Just a bit disconcerting. Then I started throwing up and had to move. Crazy. Just seconds from calling the paramedics a friend of ours, a nurse, came over and checked me out and gave me dramamine for motion sickness, twice ( after I threw them up :) )  and told me it was vertigo and I wasn't going to die.
I still wasn't so sure but after an hour of 'exhaling' it slowed down and I slept.
Took the next day off and slowly but surely everything returned to normal
Some water I got in my ear during my Pensacola swim messed up my inner ear it seems and set this thing off.

It was one of the, if not THE worst moments I have ever had, and I have had much more than a few of crazy freaking physical shit happen to me.
But now I'm good, like it didn't happen and the workout today was strong as hell.

You just never know

Speed swings
15:15
24 kg
15 min
30 sets of 10
300 reps
15,900 lbs

Didn't even start double breathing til 11+ minutes and then only part time. Felt strong. Very weird, all things considered.

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps
not bad not unbroken but strong even in my fatigue. Each sets takes 1 min 10 seconds and we are going equal work to rest. so it's not a slow pace

Parallel pushups
21
21
18
15

75 total
strong but hell of a pump  and 'tricep death'

db rear delts
3 sets of 15 with 15 lbs

these are actually getting stronger . should do 4 sets but not quite ready for it. need the work though.

ok ruck up tomorrow before stuff up. definitely going to break the keto diet tomorrow!

datsit
neverquit

bw 163.8
bf 13.1
w 55.6 ???!!

115 lb Military press PR!, 48 kg belt squats,Floor pushups, crawls, side delts

This was STRONG! Didn't expect to feel this good but after Sat's swings, Sun's strong ruck this was a nice trifecta. One of the few times in memory( forget recent) that my body didn't hurt ANYWHERE. Crazy. I almost felt like a normal human being. Even my shoulders didn't hurt. I hoped it would transfer to the workout but I had no idea.

It did come to my thoughts that perhaps having such low carbs and high MCT fats might have helped this by reducing inflamation but who knows? My bodyweight is not changing nor my body fat but I do feel tighter and bigger and much less soft. So we'll see. But it's not giving me any energy problems and it's been a progressively stricter five days now


Mil Press
 stick x 5 x 2
65 x 5
     x 2
85 x 3
100 x 2
115 x 5x5!!! all time PR

Belt squats
 48 kg x 12 x 4

the easiest they have ever been and my ankle dorsiflexion is the best yet too. I am really sitting down much better and my knees are traveling forward better than ever

Floor pushups
 4 sets of 21
easy peasy NO clunking

Crawls
3 sets of 60 ft

strong here too.

Side laterals
3 sets of 15-10 with 15 lbs dbs

this is really helping balance the shoulder tensions

ok that was excellent! this is a real and great PR

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck: Strong

Very solid twelve laps today,especially on day four of very low carbos. Kind of a surprise but a good one.
Not shooting for ketosis just yet; just inching my way into the change although the carbs are very low. My only "breaks" are one yoghurt with none of the filling ( noosa ah I'm going to miss that) and the wine which although is low carb feels like it's cheating but hey I didn't make the rules

No real side effects from yesterday  either

50 lbs Ruck ( down 4.5 lbs from last week. it's heavy enough I think)
1:50 min
twelve laps
6th lap = 8:05
11th lap 7:55 !

bw 164.4
bf 12.5 %
w 56.6%

strange numbers I thought I'd be lighter. feel much harder overall

this is fast as we've gone the course. felt very strong the whole time although, like last week, hammies are more tired than usual

if things go well it's 115 lbs for sets of 5 in the press tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

44 kg One Arm swings, barbell hack squats, wt pushups, curls. rear delts

Only having to do five rep sets now seems like a vacation no matter how heavy. these were the strongest swings I have done with the 44. The highest, the fastest and the most controlled. the training is working. The workload seemed like nothing. perfect. Sets the stage for next weeks push with the Beast, climbing ever close to the goal of 10 sets of 10/10

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
36 kg x 4/4

44 kg x 5/5 x 5 sets
100 reps
9700 lbs work

Hack squats
55 x 12
95 x 12 x 4 sets

very close stance and really focused on pushing knees forward at bottom. felt great

Horiz pushups
30 lbs x 12 x 3 sets

stronger

barbell curls
45 x 10 x 4 sets

band rear delts
3 x 15

great workout. very solid
bw 163.4
bf 12.9%
w 56.5%

datsit big DRY ruck tomorrow

neverquit

Thursday Ruck, light and fast

Good one today. Took the 30 min ride home  to prepare and it made a difference even in the ruck. Solo today so started a bit slower than when with tracy but speeded up at the end

Ruck weight = 46 lbs
6 laps
55 min
4th lap= 8;03
6th lap= 7:43!

not bad cardio either. But lighter sure makes a huge difference all the way around. 5 lbs in the ruck makes it MUCH heavier.

Also definitely could feel the hamstrings from yesterday! Back was fine

ok day off and then 44 kg for 5/5 x 10 , strength and power emphasis

datsit
neverquit

24 kg speed swings, 17 min, walking lunges, parallel pushups, rear delts

This was a tough one today. Just not taking enough time to 'gear down' mentally before I hit the gym for 17 min straight of as high intensity reps as I can. Have to make sure to use the drive home on Wednesdays to really get in the zone before i do these high volume workouts.

If I don't, I waste too much time in the first 5-7 min getting my head out of my ass. right now I'm working right up til I hit the gym and that's gotta stop. the drive home is a perfect 30 min transition that I'm not taking advantage of. now I will

It wasn't that bad and power output wasn't that low but I've done better. but the good news is that even though it was a tough day it still got done and it was ok. Started double breathing about 7- 8 minutes in and that's never a good sign. That made it much easier though and around 11 minutes I settled down mentally and got to a strong place.
I'm a slow warmer upper :)

Speed swings, 24 kg
34 sets of 10 15;15
340 reps
17 min
18,020 lbs! 9 tons!

Walking lunges
4 sets of 40 sets

no weight yet but good solid lunges. last two sets unbroken which really sucked

Parallel pushups
4 sets of 20 solid

db rear delts
3 sets of 15 with 15 lbs

ok ruck up tomorrow
bw 165.4
bf 12.5%

starting to lower carbs, increase fats, especially coconut oil and products and starting to think about a ketogenic diet.
I'm close now just have to drop yoghurt and change my evening meal to fats and proteins. Just NOT giving up red wine no matter what :)

datsit
neverquit

110 lb Military press (5x5), 44 kg belt squats, Floor pushups (PR) 4 x 25! crawls, side delts

Was very strong today for no damn good reason. Didn't feel especially good all day; still a bit beat up from the combo heavy swings and ruck but not bad. Shoulder and elbow A ok, and hip good too.
But the weights just flew up.

Mil Press
 stick x 5
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 3
85 x 5
100 x 3
110 x 5 x 5

could have done 115 x 5x5 and tied my pr and if hindsight I should have but I didn't know it would go so well until the 3rd set. My PR for 115 lbs is 5 sets of 3. Have to remember that for next time I get strong again :)
definitely have to let myself lay back and it changes everything. even with a bit more t spine extension now in the mix, this technique is both safest and strongest for me, no doubt. Just have to let myself use it  and not feel guilty my overhead position is better. it'll get there.

Belt squat
44kg x 4 sets of 10
strongest ever.

Floor pushups
4 sets of 25 All time PR!!
100 reps

very very very strong. and no shoulder clunks at all :)

Crawls
3 sets of 50 feet

side laterals
3 x 15 12, 10 with 15 lbs

strong day, love it!

BW 165.4 ( ??)
BF 12.5
H20 56.5 (?)

ok day off tomorrow then 17 min speed work on wednesday

neverquit!

Sunday Ruck. rucking in the rain

LOL it was a wet one today! Great storm and we were pretty much right in the middle of it. Got to use my new rain coat and it worked great. Plus my nice sand track was wet and soggy so i got the extra work of rucking in soft sand so that was fun too.
Felt like a kid purposely walking in the puddles.
 It was beautiful out, I always loved to run in the rain, cycle- not so much- but running was always very calming. Plus the air is supercharged with negative ions and that's fun too:)

Felt solid today despite not doing a long one last week until the start of lap ten. Then it got hard. the last lap was very hard. Legs and calves were just tired. Yesterday's hack squats were felt. In a good way but definitely felt.

But, we got it done
 54.5 lbs ruck
12 laps
5 iso squats
10th lap = 8:15
1 hr 55 min total time

40 kg One Arm Swings( 5x 9/9, 5 x 8/8) Bar Hacksquats,Weight pushups, curls, rear delts

WAAY stronger than expected. Bell felt positively light, and I even thought about pushing the edge more and doing all sets of 9/9 but I also know not to be greedy, so I stuck with the planned progression

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 lg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
40 kg x 9/9 x 5
          x 8/8 x 5
170 reps ( 2 shy of total pr but also rep count pr)
14,960 lbs

nice work, good power and speed, body felt great.

Barbell hacks
55 x 10
75 x 10 x 3

nice to have these back in, the weight isn't much different than goblet squats but it's time for a very close stance squat in the mix again and I can do way more reps with these

Sandbag pushups, horiz bar
30 lbs x 3 x 10

strong but didn't want to push elbow; it felt ok but need to go slow.

Bar curls
35 x 10
45 x 10 x 3

these felt surprisingly good. keep the weight light and all the load on the biceps, get a pump and a good stretch at the bottom
db rear delts
15 lb x 3 x 10

also good. solid workout

ruck up tomorrow heavy

datsit
neverquit

Thursday Ruck, light and fast

Above pic on the Condor tri hull sail boat Ken  took us on while we were in Pensacola and IHMC.

ruck weight: 47 lbs
Six laps
55 minutes
3rd lap= 8:10
everything felt solid. Shoulder and elbow ok everything in one place for a change

BW 164.4

datsit

one day off then the 40 kg!

neverquit

24 kg Speed Swings, 12 min, walking lunges,parallel bar pushups, db laterals

It should have been an easy day today except for my shoulder/ elbow still not sitting right. Got some time to work on it and it was much better after yesterday's deep tissue massage from Tracy. I just couldn't figure out the source.
I worked the teres, lats tricep forearms ( these seemd the most fruitful) but when I got the biceps tendon back in it's groove that everything let go and unraveled back into place.
I think the bicep tendon slipping the groove is what sets the elbow off ALONG with over work on the grip.
And I think the clubbells, again, and, as much as I like playing with them are out. This is the third time in  a row this has happened. You're out.

Speed swings
24 kg
15:15 ten reps
12 min
240 reps
12,720 lbs

these were downright easy, physically, but it usually take close to 7 min for my head to really relax and get in the game that it was over just as I started to feel good. No problem though I can take an easy day.

Walking lunges
no weight today!
4 laps of 40 steps

quads on fire

Parallel pushups
20
20
12

pushing it a little here , elbow is still inflammed from being out for two days. But I proved the cure. the elbow started feeling wonky and I went to work on  the bicep tendon and it relaxed into place

db side laterals
3 sets of 12 with 12 lbs

ok, ruck up tomorrow. haven't had one if a week. feels like longer

neverquit

110 lb Mil Press,40 kg belt squats, floor pushups, rear delts, crawls

This was tough after yesterday's workout and so much travel. Plus Glenn is traveling so it's solo. Slow start but it warmed up fast. Decently strong, considering all the factors

Mil Press
stick x 5
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5 x 2 ( cold out now too)
85 x 3
100 x 3
110 x 3
110 x 4 x 5

started off very slowly and got better each set. Left bicep tendon not sitting right for the last two days  and I couldn't get it to reset until set 3 :)Felt it clunk in and each set afterwards was fine. It's amazing how things change when the joint "sets" properly. ALL kinds of things feel instantly better.
People who have never dislocated or subluxed joints and who aren't hypermobile can't understand this but it's true nonetheless.

Belt squats
40 kg x 10 x 4 sets

now THIS was hardest ever after yesterdays goblet squats. wow. quads were really tired and weak. pumped right up though

floor pushups
24
17
15
12

68 total

shoulders tri's and pecs were tired plus I was not going to allow one "clunk". My shoulder just started feeling right and I didn't want any more "out". When it fatigues and de stabilizes something clunks in the shoulder and it's not right for quite awhile after that.
No Clunks

Band rear delts
4 sets of 20-15

these felt great
 love the bands for this over dbs

crawls
3 laps of 50 feet

THESE  were tough. didn't want to do them but had no good reason not too so I did. But I was hungry :)

ok day off tomorrow then 12 min speed swings on wed. time to get back on track

BW 163.6

neverquit

36 kg One Arm swings ( 160),goblet squat ladder, kickstand squats, cb arm casts, parallel pushups

The view from our suite in Pensacola and getting to meet Atlas IHMC's winning robot.My talk about aging and sarcopenia and how to prevent it couldn't have gone better! in fact the entire trip was basically perfect. We were treated like royalty the entire time by Ken Ford , his wife Nancy and the entire IHMC staff. Plus I learned SO much getting to hang out and talk to Ken the entire time. This is one smart man


And getting back from Pensacola on Saturday at 12 noon rocked. Got plenty of time to decompress AND I got to do yesterday's workout today. Thought about doing a short heavy ruck too but a skype business call kept me from going right out and then I got lazy.

At least I got the swings in
Sucked at the start which I figured, then it got better

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 5/5
36 kg x 8/8 x 10
160 reps
12, 600 lbs

thought about doing 10's but then thought better of it. Right decision. traveling always makes the first workout(s) back terrible. Heartate is up respiration too. Just takes the whole workout to get going. feel WAAAY better after but it takes awhile.
Speed and power were fine though. the bell didn't feel near as heavy as I expected.

Goblet squat
 24 x 5 x 2
28 x 5 x 2
32 kg x 5 x 1

these went well
Kickstand squats
 3 x 5/5
        6/6
        7/7
need to keep these in for knee and ankle mobility and ROM

Clubbell arm casts
20 lb x 8/8
          x 9/9
          x 10/10
25 lbs x 6/6
           x 8/8

these went very well

Parallel bar pushups
20. 20. 15. 15

these were tougher than usual after the clubs. didn't want to push it; still have presses tomorrow

side laterals
4 x 10 with 12's

perfect weight and reps

ok datsit. roll and stretch then press tomorrow

BW 163 after trip

nevertrip

105 lb Mil press, 36 kg belt squat, floor pushups, crawl, db laterals

Pretty interesting workout as it was literally another day at the office as I got involved in some business calls right up to it was time to walk into the gym. I was thinking I wanted to go to 110 again and do 5x5 but I just wasn't mentally ready.

I know 105 is so close to 110 one might think ' what difference could it make" but it does, and since my best is 135 its my 80% weight and it was a tough 135.

I think the clubbell work we did for the first time in ages made my shoulders sore in a new way. Definitely DOMs but Glenn had it too. I didn't want to push it.

Barbell Press
stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 6
75 x 5
85 x 3
95 x 3
105 x 5 x 5

Groove was ok but with my lockout the muscles are always on tension and it makes the lift that much more fatiguing but also muscularizing, not a bad tradeoff considering I have no choic :)

Belt squats
36 kg x 12 x 4 sets

for some reason this was very strong and easy. I brought my gaze down a bit and this seemed to help proproception or something as I really felt in balance and totally over the whole of my foot each rep.

Floor pushups
22, 22, 18, 15

77 reps.
left shoulder was beginning to think about clunking so I shut the reps down . wanted 4 sets of 22

huge pump though. this is beginning to feel like chest, shoulder, tricep day :)

Crawls
3 laps of 60 ft
strong  as well

db laterals
3 sets of 15, 12, 12 with 15 lbs

this movement and my supraspinatus is getting way strong again. I used to do these with 30 lb dbs no problem :)


ok datsit. good one but a bit distracted. that's ok they all can't be 10's.

neverquit

Sunday ruck; heavy and fast

Took the ruck weight up 2.5 lbs today and it was good. Until it was hard :)
But it didn't keep us from going fast too. Good lap times on the 6 and the 12th lap
Bodyparts were fine from yesterday but glutes and thighs were just tired, even from the get. Those goblet and kickstand squats probably helped that a bit, too.
Back though was solid the whole time and that is the key

Ruck weight 54.5 lbs
12 laps
1 hr 56 min
5 iso squats
6th lap = 8:00
12th lap = 7:48!

this was great but it was hard on both Tracy and I. She's just getting back in the time zone and her training schedule and I , well, I have no excuse :)

it was hard but it was completed. The increased pack weight didn't seem too noticeable.

ok heavy presses tomorrow and then I have to decide if I'm going to speed swing a bit on tuesday as Wednesday I'm off to Florida to give a talk on "Energy, Mobility and Strength- creating and maintaining them as we age. " at IHMC's  http://www.ihmc.us/lecture series and will miss wednesdays and saturdays training

This is a first for me so it should be 'interesting'

I'll decide on Tuesday how I feel. Need to be fresh and ready for thursday.

ok datsit

neverquit

32 kg One arm swings12/12, goblet squat. clubbell arm casts, weighted pushups

Strong day today. Even after messing up the schedule and doing 20 minutes on Wednesday the recovery was no problem and today was about speed and power, as it's supposed to be. After almost 200 reps with the 48 the 32 feels like the 24 kg used to. That is what progressive training is all about!

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5

32 kg  x 12/12 x 10 sets
240 reps
16, 800 lbs

Goblet squats
32 kg x 5 x 4 sets S/S with kickstand squats 4 x 10/10 ( LOVE the kickstand squat! great burn for lower quads and great for ankle and knee mobility)

these went well. so much easier than that beast :)

Capt America arm casts
 20 lbs x 10/10
25 lbs x 8/8 x 3 sets

these went fine! nice to have clubs back in the mix. have to stay with two hand versions for now as i don't need any more grip stress as my shoulders are just feeling good again, and it was nice to see the shoulders could take the club work too.  Love what they do for the arms shoulders and midsection

Weighted parallel bar pushups
4 sets of 10 with 30 lb sandbag

ok datsit. heavy ruck tomorrow and will take the weight up 2.5 lbs. will be fun!

neverquit

Fast Ruck

Quick and dirty today. No ill effects of yesterdays 20 min speed swings at all which is awesome. Got home rucked up and off we went. Fast pace too

44.5 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min
last lap = 7:45

Speed Swings, 24 kg 20 min,sandbag walking lunges,parallel bar pushups, rear delt

 

This was a good one. We messed up the schedule last week ; it's THIS week that should have been a 10 minutes swing set- the week after the beast work not last week. But it worked out well.
One, the training today was strong and two, I'm out of town next week so it was a happy accident. Normally the workout before beast day should be an easy speed swing workout.

Fast paced day today and not a lot of mental prep going in, which may have helped. Just get out of the car, walk into the gym and go for it.

Speed swings
24 kg
15:15 10 reps per
20 min
400 reps
21,200 lbs work

power and acceleration started strong and stayed so for almost all of the workout. didn't even start to double breath until after 15 minutes and then only sporadically . my wind ain't bad and that's good.

walking lunges( with 30 lb sandbag)
20 steps with SB 20 without x 3 laps
MAN this makes this tough work WAY tougher.Quad are on fire immediately and turn right to jelly

Parallel bar pushups
20 x 3 sets
15 x 1
75 reps

db rear delts
15 lb s x 15 x 3 sets

elbow is feeling much better and didn't want to mess with it with kb rows!

strong work especially all things considered

ok datsit  ruck up tomorrow

neverquit

110 lb Mil Press, 32 kg belt squat, floor pushups,crawls, rear delt

Pretty solid one today considering I woke up with my left elbow a bit wonky from 'sleeping on it' wrong. That's my definition of old. When you get hurt in your sleep. I know it's just from too much work on the grip but that's what 170 48 kg one arm reps can get you.
Oh and that goblet squat as well
So I went to work on the flexors but it's hard to get things right when I have to do as I train clients. Can't really focus just try to keep it open

I figured the barbell presses today would either fix it or finish it.
It got fixed. but it really bugs me when this happens. the whole arm is just basically useless when the elbow is stuck in external rotation a bit.
But the fix; release the muscle tension, definitely allows the joint to sit back into neutral
When one has loose ligaments and tight muscles this can happen. and does :)

Military press
stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 3
110 x 3 x 4
110 x 5

this turned out better than expected. took a few sets to remember the groove as the elbow was not entirely happy but it settled down as I went on. Without that I could have done 5x5 with the weight no problem.

Belt squats
32 kg x 15 x 4
legs are pretty tired by this point and I didn't spend enough time on the roller. right IT band pretty tight against the kneecap.

Floor pushups
4 sets of 20

good test for the elbow and the flat palm position always helps the elbow rotate back into the groove. Iso holds on lockout at the end . after these it felt normal. could fully lockout with no pressure on it

Crawls
2 laps of 60 ft.

cut it short we have 20 min of swings to do on wed and  I was feeling done. pain always drains one even if it's not serious. Also I figured I'd pushed the elbow enough

band rear delts
3 sets of 15 slowly with blue band

datsit
neverquit

Sunday ruck; just turn the motor on

and let it run.

That's what today felt like. Up until the ninth lap that is.
But until then it was great. No residual issues from yesterday's PR fest at all. Another pr of sorts in it's own right. That shows the loading was appropriate and the recovery included.

Got a decent stretchout before the start and legs and back felt good. The pack felt light at 51.4 lbs. Time to bump the weight up again. Another 2.5 lbs next week.

Things were focused and smooth up until the start of the 9th lap (1.5 hrs  in) when 'the training began'. No big deal just started to get a little fatigued and  bored. Harder to keep increasing the pace but I got it done. Up until then I felt like a machine, just ready to move. I LOVE this feeling :) That's what keeps me coming back time and time again, waiting for it to make it's appearance.
Strong always feels good.

A really good example of negative split training
5th lap = 8:20
7th lap: 8:06
11th lap : 7:45!

really got warmed up by then :)
 51.4 lbs
12 laps
5 iso squats
2 hours.

the thing to remember too when walking for time is that it doesn't matter if you go faster each lap, you still have to stay on your feet for the full time :)
this makes it both easier and tougher at the same time

ok presses tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

48 kg One Arm Swings 170 reps PR, 48 kg Goblet squat PR, Horiz Pushups, side laterals

HUGE day today with a huge bell. Looking back at my log I saw my old pr ( done twice but in different ways) is 160 reps. The  first way did 5 sets of 9/9 a set of 10/10 then sets of 5/5 to finish. I wanted to do more reps and keep the reps per set higher.

I set out to do  5 x 9/9 and 5 x 8/8 and got it done but it was not as easy as I had hoped. The first rep of the first set I felt my left hand grip say hello and let me know I couldn't treat that bell like a 32 or so. I had to grip the shit out of it to keep it going!

It got better as I warmed up. as usual, but that got my attention.

things got better until set 7 or so then it got just damn hard to keep the rep speed and height where I wanted it and 8 reps, while better than 9 is not that much easier :)

and we went VERY fast. Only three of us and we got finished about 20 minutes sooner than usual. Just a screaming pace. didn't plan it, it just happened but it didn't make it easier

One armswings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kgx  5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 5/5
40 kg x 4/4

48 kg x 9/9 x 5 sets
          x 8/8 x 5 sets
170 reps PR
18,020 lbs

seriously hard from a strength AND a conditioning standpoint.
And while I got this done it truly let me know just how tough the end game goal: 10 sets of 10/10 with this thing will be. I remember when I first did 100 reps with it and was pleased as punch. As I am now. Still lots of work to do to get that PR under my belt.

Lots of people do some swings, almost nobody ( except our crew and my wife ) TRAINS the swing. Crazy! You get so much from so little

Oh yea, it's fucking HARD that's why.

Goblet squat


This was HUGE for me! The end result of the last 2+ years since my TKR! I dreamed I would one day be able to squat this thing, like this, but I really didn't know when. My squats and legs have been feeling very strong and this is the peak of the cycle. I crushed the 40 kg goblet last week so no good reason not to try.

Except I was freaking BEAT UP by all those swings but what was the worst case? I missed. No big deal. I wanted to just try. And it was STRONG! The hardest part was cleaning the damn thing! I though a bunch about doing a timer swing and, in hindsight I should have, and will do next time. The squat wasn't that hard at all but if I don't get a great rack hold position it makes it much harder than it should be .

Still , very very veryhappy with this

my 44 kg  set


Goblet squat
28 kg x 3
36 kg x 3
44 kg x 2
48 kg x 2 PR!!!!!

Horiz bar pushups
25
25
20
 these were tough just cause I was TIRED!

side delts
3 sets of 12 with 12's

 very very good day. big ruck tomorrow and Tracy will be back too! Can't wait :)

datsit
neverquit

A different Thursday ruck

Got started a bit later than usual today. Tracy's still in Vietnam and I got stuck on a business phone call. I felt good, the pack was light ( 44 lbs) and the weather was moderate. But I was hungry and ready to get it over with so I could eat.

On my second lap though I noticed a homeless guy sitting behind a tree. There are many homeless who call this park their home; I took note of him and walked on. He called out to me as I passed;" is that a Craft international patch"? At first I didn't know if he was talking to me or not and I forgot I had my Chris Kyle patch on my ruck then it dawned on me what he was asking.

I told him it was and walked over to him; he had to be a vet to know what the patch was. He was young and obviously homeless, we started talking about Chris Kyle and Craft Int and he told me he was a vet and had done two tours in Iraq as a Marine.
He asked if I was a Marine and complimented me on how I carried my ruck. No greater compliment to me than to be mistaken for a Marine :) We talked a bit more; he told me about his time in Iraq and how hard it was when he came back. But I had to go.I wished him good luck and told him I wished I had some money to give him and that if he were around here on Sunday am when I rucked I would help him out.

But as I walked away I realized my house was just two blocks away. The house that I owned with the car that I owned in front of it and plenty of food and warmth and money in it. I felt guilty about not wanting to break my training routine to help this guy out.

So I told him I would be back in ten minutes and to wait. I walked back home as fast as I could and made him a care package. A bunch of cooked bacon I had in the fridge, a handful of quest bars, shortbread cookies, a box of tricuits, a Craft International t shirt I had just lying around, a casio watch I didn't need , a small bottle of moonshine and $100 in 20's.

I had no idea what he would do with the money but I didn't care. It felt great to be helping this guy out and these are the things I would want in his current situation.

When I gave him the  money he just about cried. He put the shirt right on and was as happy as I have seen a person in a long time. He stuffed the bacon in his mouth and promised me the moonshine wouldn't mess him up.

He had a son and a wife in modesto and  was trying to get back to them and now he could. He was 27 and said this was the first time anyone had helped him out on the street. He hugged me and shook my hand and thanked me over and over. He is the same age as my son.

I headed back to finish my laps and he headed to the train station to buy a ticket. I haven't felt this good in a long long time

44 lb ruck
6 laps
last lap time 7:45
helping a homeless Marine vet : priceless.


datsit
neverquit.

24 kg Speed Swings, 10 min, Sandbag walking lunges, parallel pushups , 28 kg kb rows

This is a backoff week for speed swings, to set up not only the weekends 48kg swing work but also next weeks 20 min speed swing peak

This is working out very well. Not only does 10 min now feel like cheating( lol Glenn) it also really lets me concentrate on going all out each and every rep, which I try to do but can't, for 20 minutes.This is shorter work bout but the intensity is very high. Power out put the best ever for 10 minutes

Speed swings
24 kg
15;15 x 10 reps
10 min 200 reps
10, 600 lbs

Walking Lunges with 29 lb sandbag

 1st lap x 40 sets with bag both directions
2nd lap with bag forward only, bw back
3rd lap the same

this KICKED MY ASS!!
the bag was comfortable to carry but the load on the quads was off the hook. Next week only 1/2 lap on each set until I adapt.

Parallel bar pushups
20
20
20
15

these were strong and shoulder was fine. No residual problems from Mon mil press workout

kb row
28 kg x 6/6 x 3 sets

quick and dirty workout. perfect

tomorrow hour ruck

datsit
neverquit

100 lb Mil Press, 44 kg belt squat, floor pushups, crawls, rear delts

Decided to give the bar another try and it felt very good I have to say.  I couldn't get into a much more vertical position by trying to brace the abs but the weight went up as easily as it ever has. Even with the close grip my hand position at the lockout is still  much wider than it would be with a kettlebell and I think that still makes a difference for the shoulder.

The key thing is is that my shoulders don't hurt and the weight felt light

Mil Press
 stick x 5 x 2
bar x 5 x 2
65 x 5
75 x 5
85 x 5
100 x 5 x 5

Belt squats
 44 kg x 10, 12, 14, 16


these felt deeper than they look. again it's all my back/hip flexion that fools me. I put my arms up in the barbell front squat position and this makes me hinge back as I approach the bottom to counterbalance even though my shin angle is very good I only get to parallel with this weight

But even though the depth is less with this bell the work is good because of the load , and the load on a different section of the force curve.holding onto something makes SO much difference in upright posture it's crazy.

Still more work to do but the knee and legs feel great!

Floor pushups
4 sets of 20 reps!!!
best EVER and NO clunking at all! that could be a first

Crawls
3 sets of 60 ft

strong

Band rear delts
3 x 12

like these better for actually getting almost pure rear delt

ok

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck

This was the first long ruck in quite awhile by myself. Tracy is still in Vietnam so it was just me today. No problem and it's always different when you go by yourself or with a partner, whether it's running rucking or cycling. You fall into a different pace, breath, mindset.

Not better or worse, just different.

 Legs and back felt fine after yesterday's heavy but small workload.

51.5 lb ruck
1 hr 55 min time
12 laps
5 30 second iso squats
5th lap time = 8:05
12 laps time 7:48

fast from the start.

wore the salomon's today for the first time for a full weight 2 hr session. they were just fine, even perhaps better than the combat boots.  plenty of support and cushioning and they move well

ok barbell presses tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

44 kg one arm swings, 28 kg double bell cleans,40 kg goblet squat ( pr) weighted pushups, side delts

Solid work today. An official 'stepping back' workload, just 100 total reps in sets of 5/5 to focus on more power output and getting set for pr work next week with the 48 kg bell.

This felt very strong the whole time; grip, legs back everything felt solid.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
32 kg x 3/3
36 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 5/5 x 10 sets
100 reps
9700 lbs work

Two bell cleans
2 20's x 5
2 24's x 5
2 28's x 3 x 3

first two sets were pulling  me forward I got it figured out for this last set


this is always a tough move for me as it gets heavy. just not much leverage in this wide stance

Goblet squat


24 kg x 5
32 kg x 5
40 kg x 5 PR!!
36 kg x 5

strongest goblets ever! bottom position felt SO solid

Horiz bar pushups
29 lb sandbag on back x 10, 10, 10 , 8

the bag works perfectly for loading this. sits flush with the back even with no one stabilizing it

side delts
3 sets of 12 with 12 lbs

great workout!

ok long ruck tomorrow by my lonesome. Tracy's off to Vietnam with my kids.

datsit
neverquit

Work Capacity

Work Capacity : Being able to produce large amounts of force over an extended period of time with minimal fatigue and quick recovery.

Fast Ruck

Back on track again with a very fast 6 lap ruck with Tracy
Lower ruck weight to 44 lbs and it almost felt empty  which is just right

6  laps
56 min
44 lb ruck
5th lap= 8:05

legs and back feel great after yesterday's training. finally catching up recovery wise.

24 kg Speed Swing 15 min,Walking Lunges Wt,Parallel bar pushups, kb row

Hard one today. No good reason but 15 minutes was long today. Had no doubt I could do it but the power output went down from 10 min on. I had to work very hard to keep the speed up through each set.
It got done but effort was up for sure. Hey, this is what training's about. This made me stronger in many ways. mentally as well as physically.

Speed Swings
24 kg
15:15 10 rep set
15 min
300 reps
15,900 lbs

I'll take it. If I can do this tired it's good.

Walking Lunges
2 laps of 40 steps bodyweight
1 lap of 40 steps with 29 lb sandbag in zercher position

this was great. could rotate it in the cross lateral gait pattern and it worked great! definitely another set next week

parallel pushups
20
20
17
10

67 reps

Kb rows
24 kg x 6/6 x 3 sets

ok ruck up tomorrow

datsit
neverquit