Hot, hard but strong ruck

Temps are creeping back up there again into mid 90's and will be over 100 degrees the next 4 or so days.
Hard as usual thursday ruck right after work but the surprise was my legs, even though glute tired. performed well and my mind wasn't too far behind
It seems when I am more fatigued, and or just not into it mentally, if I try to go faster it's actually easier.
When the fatigue or the heat is oppressive, just trying to 'hang on' makes it just that much harder. Time to be as aggressive as I can.
It's hard though as it fatigues you more but it's something to push against

At least when I feel I have it in my legs to give

45 lb ruck
6 laps
52 minutes
4th lap : 7:41 ( so we were not slow)
95 degrees

BW 169  W T  F??
BF 12.5
W 56.5

crazy!

1 pm
BW 168.2
BF 11.1
W 57  what is up with this>

ok rest day than Beast swings on Saturday. Lets put this big body to use! lol

datsit
DFQ

24 kg Speed swings 16 min,walking lunges, parallel pushups, rear delts parallete handstands

As good as it gets, and as good as it's been, No problem either physically or mentally and I cranked out the reps with solid power output in each and every rep and no lung issues at all; or double breathing.
Didn't even look at the clock til 12 min in.
Strong all the way though

24 kg Speed swings
16 min
32 sets
256 reps
13,568 lbs

very happy with this.

Walking lunges

right knee has been talking to me these past two weeks so I shortened the stride a bit and it felt fine. rec fem has been tight but mainly it's the soleus that needs more SMR. technique change made all the difference

Parallel pushups
3 sets of 30
better really feel the upper back working on this version

rear laterals
3 sets of 12 with 20 lbs

Parallel bar Handstand
3 reps

nice! each rep went right to vertical with almost no help. Next stop- no help then no ceiling!

BW 167.8!!
BF 12.1
W 56.7

too much ice cream it seems but I was 167.0 at 1 pm before training. And that's with almost 90 oz of tea and water in the interim!

ok back to thursday ruck tomorrow

datsit
dfq

125 lb Military press 5x5, 44 kg belt squats, wt floor pushup,crawls, side delt

Perfect day to do this. The technique worked beautifully and this was the best pressing I have done since I started putting an empty bar over my head 3 years ago. Could be just a good day but I really felt all the little pieces of techniques I've been working on have forged together.

The keys are

1) bar high on the chest on walkout
2) tighten glutes and lay back into arch
3) layback and press simultaneously
4) drive the bar back over my head from the start but ever more so as it ascends. NOT straight up
5) repeat 1-4 for EACH rep

this means I have to relean back into the arch, then re layback and press simultaneously for each rep. It seems like more work on paper but it's so much more efficient

I don't I've ever had the bar speed that I did today and mainly it's because I wasn't in my own way. For once.

All this time I haven't felt my press strength was the issue but my mobility restrictions keeping me from having an efficient groove.
All the BodyMaintenance work is paying off. My overhead today was the best in years and my handstand is back as well.

NeverQuit.

Military press
stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 2
125 x 5 x 5

44 kg belt squats
4 sets of 12

strong.

Floor pushups, 32 lb sandbag
3 sets of 25, 25, 20

these are tough! bag moves too much and that concerns me. I don't want to be loading one shoulder more than the other.

crawls
3 sets of 70 ft

fast

side laterals
3 sets of 12 with 15

BW 167.4
BF 11.9
W 57

datsit
dfq

A hard walk in the park

This was a tough one. Glutes and upper legs were just tired. It was hot and muggy with zero wind. Not nice. Didn't start off too bad but I could tell it was going to be pretty slow overall

So I made myself do some timed sets. It made it easier and harder at the same time. Got me moving better but made the legs more tired.
I took more than a few 30 second breaks with the ruck on a table to rest. That helped a lot

50 lb ruck
12 laps
2 hours even
11 iso squats
5th lap = 7:27
9th lap = 7:14

not bad after all but was not fun.  A lesson in will

BW 167
BF 12. 1
W 56.7

125 lb presses tomorrow; technique and speed work

datsit
dfq

44 kg One Arm swing 10x8/8, double 20 kg kb front squats,50lb horiz bar pushups,PB handstands, rear raises

Really solid workout today. The 44 just felt like another weight. Less mental prep ever needed for this weight. A good sign
Position, power and recovery was solid

One Arm Swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x  5/5
28 kg x  4/4
32 kg x 4/4
36 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 8/8 x 10 sets
160 reps
15, 488 lbs


Double KB front squats


decided to do a different leg move today. this worked well with this light weight but I used a closer stance which felt very comfortable in the bottom
I felt I was going deeper than the video shows but they felt solid nonetheless

20 kgs x 5 sets of 5

Horizontal pushups
bw x 8
52 lbs x 10 x 3 sets

very strong and the bag is comfortable. no problem shoulder felt great

Handstands
Bosu and paralletes
5 singles
better each time, have to work on keeping left leg driving back longer and getting the  R to L hip twist out. but it's so much better and I'm ahead of where I even dreamed I'd be coming back again

Rear delts
3 sets of 12 with 20's

BW 167.2
BF 13.5
W 55.2

obviously dehydrated. fixing that

ruck up

datsit
dfq

24 kg Speed swings 14 min,walking lunges, parallel pushups, side delts, pbar handstand

Solid training.The 28 sets of 8 every 15 seconds were all strong. NO double breathing necessary at all these  days either. All power breathing and it's not hard now

Groove and hinge were good and bell felt light. Not upper body sore like I was for awhile after heavy press Mondays.
Dropped right into the rhythm too.

24 kg speed swing
15:15 x 8 RPA
28 sets
14 min
224 reps
11,872 lbs

workloads are slightly less but power output is definitely up

walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

did them on concrete today and did not like it at all. grass is more unstable but more forgiving to ankles and knees too

Pb pushups
3 sets  of 30 bodyweight

good to not have load :)

side laterals
3 sets of 15 with 15
strong

Pbar handstands with bosu start
3 in a row! ( with spot) but right to vertical. I feel it's actually going to come back!
nice

BW 168.4
BF 12.1
W 56.7

feel good

datsit
dfq

no ruck tomorrow Dentist instead. Forced rest

150 lb Military press 4 x 5, 1 x 2,40 kg belt squat, weighted floor pushups,crawls, rear laterals

 SOOOO CLose, I actually thought I was going to get all five.A few important technique changes. Instead of laying back and trying to just hold the arch the idea was

 more vertical in rack, layback and press simultaneously

This worked well up to 120 or so then I wasn't getting enough layback and the bar was going forward too much

SO I came up with step out, layback, THEN layback/press simultaneously.
Worked great!

Four sets is excellent and the bar speed on the first three on all sets was the best ever

I see now from the video after the first rep I don't lay back enough before ' pulling the trigger'. I get more vertical each rep and then the bar is forward AND I'm fatigued.

So it's each rep lay back, then layback/press/

Next week down to 125 and some timing and speed work then back to this and nail it

Military press
stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 5
105 x 3
120 x 2
135 x 2
150 x 5 x 4 sets
       x 2 x 1 set

Just crashed and burned!
tried it another times and not even a 1/2 rep! dead!

40 kg belt squat
4 sets of 16

need more right rec fem rollout and tibialis. patella is a big stiff

weighted floor pushups
32 lb x 25 x 2
         x 20

well this is harder than I thought! definitely brought the reps down as I wanted

crawls
3 sets of 70
easier

Rear laterals
3 sets of 12 with 20

BW 167.2
BF 12.2
W 56.6

ok rest and roll tomorrow

datsit
dfq

Strong Ruck

Surprisingly strong day today. Legs were tight starting out but pack felt light and the legs loosened up quickly.

Overcast and cool helps tons.
Didn't time any laps but we finished 10 minutes early so that's good

50 lb Ruck
12 laps
1:50 min
11 iso squat stretches

BW 166.4
BF 13.8
W 55.2

lowest water reading and highest bodyfat in forever. Thought I hydrated well all day. Week off creatine though so perhaps that's having some effect

big press tomorrow

datsit
dfq

40 kg One Arm Swing 10 x 10/10, hacks, 50lb Horiz bar pushups, side laterals, handstands

Tough one today. Have had a cold for the last 2+ days and nose and ears congested made doing 20 reps sets not much fun. it got done but I can't say it was easy. Medium strong though, heart rate sky high after each set.

Focus was decent too and body felt pretty symmetrical and ready

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 4/4
40 kg x 10/10 x 10
200 reps
14,000 lbs

30 min or so

height and teshnik were decent, all things considered. which they always have to be

Barbell hacks
95 x 8
115 x 6
135 x 6
145 x  5

really concentrated on foot pressure via the three-point tripod on the foot: outside edge,ball and heel pressure simultaneously. Felt really good, and , obviously, well balanced
still used grip and torque technique ala starett.
Foot rooting is every bit as important as a strong grip

Wt pushups
New 50 lb sandbag today! time to up the game
bw x 12
50 x 10 x 3

definitely harder but not too bad. much heavier feeling, though, than a 45 lb clubbell

side laterals
3 sets of 15 with 15's
excellent technique and feel

Parallettes handstand /off bosu


these went very well! Much much easier to "feel" inverted vertical! a breakthrough. Got overhead much quicker and no freakout!

4 singles
still have to set up closer to the beam

BW 165
BF 12.1
BW 52.6

ruck up tomorrow

datsit
dfq

Strong hot ruck

Cold in full bloom but it was a strong ruck! legs felt great, loose but strong and the little motors just wanted to keep on keepin' on!
 But I am just plum tired.
As soon as I got home  I literally fell into bed for a nap!

Didn't help it was hot with no cloud cover
Good training in 'shut the hell up and just do it ' discipline

45 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min

4 am
BW 167
BF 12.7
W 56.2

1 pm
BW 166.2
BF 11.1
W 57.3

datsit
dfq

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

This was a weird one. In the process of catching a cold and nose and head congested all morning. Took a pseudophed before leaving work and it was still kicking in when I did my workout. Strangely enough I had a ton of energy and the workload was no problem,lol

Again, switching to eights instead of tens was a freaking great move. power output is way up and instead of the workout being a temptation to use another groove it's the perfect reinforcement for the groove.

Trained solo so had to watch the clock the whole time ( which I usually hate and messes me up) it didn't bother me at all. Mentally strong the whole set

24 kg speed swings
15:15 8 reps per arm
20 min
320 reps
16,960 lbs

walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps slow and deliberate on the stretch.

parallel pushups
3 sets of 30

these were tough, still feeling Monday

rear delts
3 sets of 12 with 20's

BW 168.2
BF 12.3
W 56.4

datsit
dfq

150 lb Military Press 2 x 5, 1 x 4, 2 x 3,36 kg Belt squat, floor pushups, crawls, handstand, rear delts

This was a good day that could have been a great day. But it was weird nonetheless
Got very little of my normal rest yesterday afternoon, and came into the workout pretty fatigued. BUT feeling pretty strong and jacked. Just tired.

I had been waiting to try my new theory on my back arch out all week and as soon as I did the stick warmup I knew it was going to be a good day.  Things just felt locked in and the back arch theory is correct. It made all the difference.

But I haven't been in that position much the last three weeks and I just ran out of steam the last 2-3 sets and that's what cost me.
But the technique is right and I was strong

Used the stiffer Texas power bar that also is a little thicker diameter and that felt much better too

Military press
stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 2
120 x 2
135 x 2
150 x 5 x 2 sets, 4 x 1 set , 3 x 2 sets!

Just couldn't hold the arch and the bar got forward. And a LONG grind on the 5th attempt on the third set and that just cost me
After the first two sets I was actually thinking I could get all five sets of five today!

36 kg belt squat
12, 14, 15, 16
 solid

Floor pushups
40
35
35

these were tired. I might be done with these high sets and go to more resistance and a slower tempo, the reps are getting boring as hell

Crawls
3 sets of 70 ft

strong

Parallel bar handstands off bosu

couldn't reach the ceiling!! lol, the presses compressed me too much! crazy. Even with Neuperts help . that was weird.
But the overhead position felt strong

rear delts
3 sets of 15 with 15
this feels so light now

BW 168.8
BF 12.1
W 56.8

1 pm
BW 168
BF 11.4
W ?

ok needed day off tomorrow

datsit
dfq

Strong and fast ruck and four year TKR anniversary

Fourth anniversary of my tkr and the ruck was solid. Very strong and fast especially considering how heavy we went yesterday. Legs weren't exactly  loose but not too tight or heavy .Nice cool start and speeds kept increasing.

50 lb ruck
12 laps
11 iso squats
6th lap 7:37
10th lap 6:46 3 seconds off all time PR!

1 hour 50 min total time

all over fast

BW 166.8
BF  12.1
W 57.3

Great present from my friends from Japan Taikei Matsushita

heavy presses tomorrow, gotta get ready!

datsit
dfq

52 and 68 kg One Arm Swings, hack squats, horiz wt pushups,P bar handstand, side delts

It was a really strong day. Body felt great, energy was good and the groove was solid and there from the beginning. Focus was on too

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 4/4
36 kg x 3/3
40 kg x 3/3
44 kg x 3/3
52 kg x 5/5 x 5 ( 5750 lbs)
65 kg x 5/5 x 5 (7500 lbs)

13,250 lbs

Left hand grip gave me a bit of problem ( hence the tape) but only if I tried to accelerate too much. Right grip no problem
BUT  it was definitely a stronger effort than last time. still a ways off from transfering. bell will have to be much higher

Barbell hacks
95 x 8
115 x 8
135 x 8
150 x 6

Pushups on horiz p bar
bw x 10
45 lb CB x 10 x 3

no problem. slow and strict reps

Handstands practice on pbars


This was great! I set the bars and bosu up so that I would be able to touch my toes to the ceiling when I was actually vertical! Need to put them another 5 inches closer next time but it was really good practice. I could feel where vertical is again and I had way less trouble getting inverted this time. The bosu is a huge help now. The parallel bar idea, by fellow Iowa Gymnast and legend Bob Dixon was perfect. " you can muscle it more" he said and he was right.

Man, I really think I can get my handstand back, and, other than being able to walk again, this is right at the top of my dream list. :)

Side laterals
3 sets of 15 with 15

slow and strict strong

BW 167.6 !!
BF 11.4
W 57.3

Finally some good numbers . Must have been from the piece of Tracy's birthday cake I had yesterday :)

Ok we'll see how strong tomorrow ruck is

datsit
dfq

Handstands, headstand forward roll, and a ruck

Had a cancellation this morning and decided to play with handstands again and see if anything's changed.
It  has
I can't believe it but I finally got overhead and held again! Almost fours years after my TKR and losing my HS!!



it wasn't pretty, nor close to perfect but I got my feet to touch the wall and I got the weight transfered to my hands, something I have not been able to do.
I can see from the video I am still not moving my hips over the shoulders near enough.
Using the bosu ball helped a lot.

Tried a headstand and rolled out fast! My forward roll mechanics are still there, muscle memory at work but it scared the shit outa me! I thought I might have killed myself  or broke my neck or upper back!
No kidding
Haven't done a roll in thirty years! good thing I survived!



I also played around with some towel grip pullups. These are WAY harder than I imagined! I couldnt even hold my bodyweight in a hang! So I went to the gravitron and was able to hang and do sets of 3 with 70 lbs offset weight but it wasn't easy!

Fucking crazy.

these might be ok for my shoulders too. Getting my handstand AND my pullup back would be a dream


1 pm Rucking
45 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min
hard but steady pace.

just not in the mood and was pretty hot again. I can do it but it's just a slog

BW 168.6
BF 11.7
W 56.8

1 pm
BW 168
BF 11.3
W 57.5

off tomorrow and then the big guns on saturday!

datsit
dfq

24 kg Speed swings 18 min, walking lunges,parallel bar pushups, rear delts

One of the strongest efforts here ever. It helped that it was very cool today and not 95 deg. But either way I felt very strong and endurance was solid too. The move to 8 reps instead of 10 per arm was perfect. 8 is the magic number for both sets and reps. it's the number i can still maintain max power output for, in reps per set and total number of sets
I can do more for sure but it's pushing the envelope.

But today was solid and the bell felt light and the groove strong

24 kg speed swings
15:15 8 reps per arm
18 min
288 reps
15, 264 lbs

Very very happy here. fully recovered from Monday and the weekend's work

Walking lunges
bw x 4 sets of 40 steps

even these are getting stronger. Concentrating on deeper and slower steps. very solid

Parallel bar pushups
3 sets of 30
last set very tough

rear laterals
3 sets of 10 with 20 lbs


BW 168.4 !!
BF 11.9
W 56.9

really don't know what's going on here

datsit
dfq

150 lb Military Press 5 x 4 ( almost) PR , 32 kg belt squats, floor pushups,crawls, side delts

This was a tough one mentally. Didn't sleep well last night and had a hard start getting focused. I wasnt feeling "in" my body but more my head. Never a good place to be :)

But I took it out of my ass and got to work. As usual, by the time I got really warmed up and feeling good the workout was almost over.

Military press
 bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
105 x 3
120 x 2
135 x 1
150 x 4,4,3,3/4,4,4 all fours are PR's


the setup didn't feel right til the last two sets. Not enough arch ,nor glute tightness nor grip! It's a miracle I made them.
My right QL was tight all morning and as I arched and pressed overhead it resisted. It felt better each set but it still took almost the whole time to release.
Pressing re balances my flexion dominant posture and I always feel better, structurally, afterwards. It's just getting the front panel opened up that takes so long

And I KNEW this going in and prepared to focus on it. Just took awhile to get in and you only get so many sets :)

this was the second set


can't quite count the lockout of the fourth rep but I'm counting it anyway :)

32 kg belt squats
4 sets of 20

legs feel strong

Floor pushups
35
36
37

strong. focused on keeping my head higher and eyes up

crawls
3 sets of 70 ft

strong but these always make me want to throwup!
almost always
weird

side delts
3 sets of 10 with 20's

not as strong as hoped but ok


BW 168!
BF 12.3
W ?

Tracy's birthday party yesterday :)

back to work

datsit
dfq

Sunday Ruck

Solo ruck today, Gabe out. Pretty strong from the start considering how heavy I went on Saturday but it caught up to me on lap 10 :)
Nothing terrible but it was just tough going. Legs never really felt heavy they just didn't want to go too fast

No timed laps as I really didn't feel like pushing hard and knew the just getting through the whole thing would be enough

50 lb Ruck
12 laps
2 hours ever
11 iso squat stretches

BW 166.6
BF 12.5
W 56.4

datsit
dfq

48kg One Arm Swings 13 x 6/6, Bar hack squat pr,wt pushups , rear delts

This went very well today. All parts on deck and feeling rested strong and supple.The hardest part of this today was left hand  grip; wrist felt a little unstable but nothing bad. Just had to concentrate more, but all the rest of the components; balance, groove, position, timing rhythm, all felt "on"

I felt like a really had a bottom position to push off of. Been searching for that, in one form or another  for 30 years or so :)

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 5/5

40 kg x 5/5

48 kg x 6/6 x 13 sets

156 reps

16, 536 lbs

As solid as I've ever done them

Barbell hacks

95 x 8

115 x 8

135 x 8

145 x 8

150 x 5 PR

these were solid too and really challenged the grip after all those swings

Wt Pushups parallel bar

bw x 10

45 x 10 x 3

slow and strict, head and eyes up

rear delts

3 sets of 12 with 20's

BW 166.2

BF 12.5

W 56.4

see how the heat tolerance holds up tomorrow

datsit

dfq

Hot, fast, strong ruck

Legs were definitely good to go today and although it was hot it wasn't stupid hot like yesterday. Overcast and a slight breeze helped too.
But the legs were good; loose and strong at the same time and energy was solid.Back was good too, no side effects from yesterday's speed swing effort. Which is the goal and perfect. Lungs good too

45 lb ruck
6 laps
55 min
last lap = 7:37

probably most laps were 7:50 ish. no worries.

BW 166 ??
BF 12.3
W 56.7

this is good. we'll see what the ketones were giving or taking

off tomorrow then the Beast on Sat

it's good to feel good.

datsit
DFQ

24 kg speed swing 16 min, walking lunges, parallel pushups, side delts

Nice 95 degree day today. Perfect for 16 min of speed swing work! My heat tolerance is finally kicking in and it wasn't that bad

Off all ketones during my fasting time and had a half a cup of coffee right before the workout. Definitely helped.
But my fitness is definitely up as well and I can feel it. Recovered as well from the top of the peak process and feel good again

24 kg speed swings
87 reps per arm
15:15
16 min
32 sets
256 reps
13,568 lbs

strong as hell! power to the last rep. breathing strong. no double breathing and able to hardstyle breath the whole way as well. doing 8's instead of 10's was a stroke of genius if I do say so myself

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

really took my time and worked the stretch at the bottom of each rep. Having more gas in the tank helped that as well as mentally calming down and not trying to 'get it over' as fast as possible

Embrace the suck :)

Parallel pushups
35
30
35

got my head out of my ass for the last set :)

Side delts
3 sets of 15 slow with 15's
strict and strong

BW 167.6
BF 12 .9 !!! ?
W 56.2

obviously not drinking enough water during the hot afternoons/

short but very hot ruck tomorrow coming up

datsit
DFQ