120 lb Military press ( pr),bar hack squat, floor pushups, sled, side delt

Well, for my sixth day in a row of training this went surprisingly good. Even though after last weeks volume PR of 5x5 with 110 I probably should have dropped down in weight I did not feel like doing much volume so I felt my way up a bit.

Shoulders felt ok but everything was a bit stiff and tired today so i really didn't know how 120 would feel but it, as usual, got better the more sets I did.

Military Press
 stick x 5
bar  x 5
65 x 5
75 x 3
85 x 3
95 x 3
110 x 2
120 x 2 x 4 sets PR!

Nice! I can see 135 in the not so distant horizon

Barbell Hack squats
55 x 10
75 x 10
95 x 8 x 4

these felt good lots of lower quad

Floor pushups


these went well. I hit four sets of 20 pretty strongly but I didn't realize I was dropping my head so much. I haven't watched video of myself in a long time. I will bring my head up in the future. It won't make me go deeper; I'm going to the comfortable limit of my shoulder ROM right now but I don't like the way it looks.

Either way though my work capacity on these is much improved.

4 sets of 20
80 reps

Sled pull
3 laps of 250 ft with 105 lbs

these were strong! haven't done them in a few weeks but they felt very good

Db side raises
3 x 12 with 12 lbs

just keeping the shoulder muscles balanced

ok one day off then 18 min of swings on wednesday!

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck

Now that was hard.
After teaching all day yesterday I was just plumb tired this morning at 6 am but I rucked up and rucked out.
It actually started out better than expected
Slow but legs felt good and not too heavy. I chose not to do pause squats as I wanted to make sure I actually got the whole ruck in but did 3 sets on laps 4, 7 and 9

Lap ten got hard. I got slow
Eleven and twelve were tough mentally. I was just tired but nothing hurt. Luckily the weather was  actually cool for a change with a slight breeze. That made it possible .If it had been super hot and humid it could have broke me.
Naw but I would have been miserable

50 lb ruck
12 laps
3 paused squats ( 30 sec)
2 hours

ok tomorrow will be another test: the sixth day in a row of training ; heavy military presses. We'll see how I feel

datsit
neverquit

36 kg One Arm Swings 5's,36 kg Belt squats, parallel pushups, rear delts

Third workout day in a row and no problem,Took it easy today on purpose and got to remember just how joyous doing sets of five reps per hand is! I could really focus on all the small details and not worry about breathing or grip fatigue or anything put power! Have to bring these low rep sets back in on occasion just to get back to some practice as well as the training.

Now that the swing test is accomplished we can diversify the workload a little more. I want to put two hand swings, and or two bell swings back in somewhere in the routine
I'm thinking stay with just ten total sets of one arm swings of whatever rep count corresponds to the weight and then add in 5 -7 set of two hander or two bell swing after, for low rep sets.

And, add in just 5/5 for the 36 kg bell after the high rep work with the 32 kg

so : One Arm Swings
week one 32 kg  x 12/12 x 10 sets ( 240)
week two 36 kg x 5/5 x 10 sets (100)
week three 40 kg x 8/8 x 10 sets ( 160)
week four 44 kg x 7/7 x 10 sets ( 140)
week five 48 kg x 6/6 x 10 sets ( 120 )

Two Hand swings or single rep swings 5 x 5
week one : 36 kg
two :40 kg
three:44 kg
four:48 kg
five 52 + kilo

and of course the high volume swing vo2 on wednesdays. that should keep our one arm swing volume plenty high

Today
One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
36 kg x 5/5 x 10
100 reps
8000 lbs work

felt great! crisp and fast and light..

Belt squat
36 kg  10 x 4 sets

Parallel pushups
4 sets of 10 slow
nice to drop the reps and re focus the form here too

Db rear delts
15 lbs x 10 x 3

quick and dirty

datsit long today tomorrow teaching BodyMaintenance at San Jose Barbell

neverquit

Thursday Ruck. Summer is here.

Freakin' HOT today. Flew in from work and went right to the ruck with not enough mental prep time and really wasn't ready for how hot it was. Let my mind get ahead of me a bit and it wasn't til the 3rd lap that I settled in and calmed down.

I used to be in much better heat shape that I am now that's for sure and it almost feels like something has shifted in me for that. I used to love the heat and I might have 'lost that lovin' feeling' ,lol
I will get it back because there is no other choice but it will take some mental work I see

43 lb ruck
6 laps
one hour

hot as hell :)


ok tomorrow is 36 kg swings, got a great full hour stretchout this morning ( lots of clients on vacation now) and need to do a little more foam roller before bed.

datsit
neverquit

24 kg Swing Vo2 16 min,Walking lunges, Horiz Pushups, kb rows

Back on track, I can feel it. Well I can feel energy instead of fatigue, strength instead of weakness and recovery instead of soreness.
Nice, it seemed to take long enough.
Taking the adaptogens  daily again has helped a lot as well as a few high calorie/ carb days.( weight has stayed the same)

Wasn't sure how this would go although I got a full hour stretchout and felt good all morning. Never really know until I put hands on bell.
Today it felt light and fast. Exactly what I was hoping for

Swing Vo2
24 kg
16 min
320 reps
16,960 lbs

speed and float were good. Actually started double breathing early today, around 9 min. It was muggy and humid but not so hot so I didn't turn the fan on. I go back and forth between trying to NOT double breathe and doing it all the time

According to KJ the more air you take in while doing this type of work the better and hardstyle breathing really restricts air intake although it boosts stabilization and power output.I still worry about how my back will take it each time but so far so good.

I really feel the Oly shoes make a big difference in how swings load my body; with much more on the thighs and quads and much less on the hammies. This makes it much less on the back for me too and this feel good, so it should spare my back more but I still worry abit.
So I try to delay the double breathing but it really does help. way more O2 available.

Mentally I was solid; just click off the set, chalk a bit , wait 2-3 second til the clock turns 12 then just grab the bell and go. The less I actually think or "experience" what happened on the last set or how I feel about it the better. And the stronger.
Just suffer til the clock says stop and don't try to get away from it and don't worry the reps aren't good enough. Just do your best each set and wait til you get to stop

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 reps in the rain! awesome
Back to no stops on the second leg of the set and that's a good sign I'm recovering
Plus each lunge knee touched the deck

Horiz Pushups
20
20
18
16

these were stronger too. All good

KB rows
24 kg x 8/8  x 3 sets

back here as well

Ok We train Friday to make up for Saturdays miss for the workshop
36 kg x 5/5 x 10 sets . and easy day but I want to touch the bell

Tomorrow gotta ruck though

datsit
neverquit

110 lb Military press PR ( 5x5) Split squats, floor pushups, rear delts

Shoulders felt great all day. Worked my hangs in the morning and had a full hour stretchout. I really think what's happening with my shoulders, more than anything, is that my body is settling down and seeking neutral after the TKR.

I'm not doing things that much different than I was but they seem to be working better. Perhaps it's just starting to finally work after all this time training it

Either way the hangs went well and I think they are the shoulder/lat equivalent of my static squat stretches when I was working to increase knee ROM
By hanging there the lats, after time, 'give out' and the muscle releases. Or that's what seems to be happening . Same that occurred with the knee,
If I can just get it to stay long the overhead position could be better than it has in ages.

Barbell Mil Press
stick x 5
bar x 5
65 x 5
85 x 3
95 x 2
110 x 5 x 5! PR!!

this went very very well. SO much easier when the shoulders actually move :) Plus getting my left elbow "in" right away fixed the little tricep pings I was getting unracking the weight.

Bulgarian Split squats
10
10
12
15

not so good this time; mainly because the rear leg position on the ankle was more noticeable than any quad work. Not sure this will work. Perhaps regular static split squats

Floor pushups
20
18
15
15

shoulders tired but overall better. especially after the bar work

band rear delts
4 sets of 12

no sled. SUPER hot today and we still aren't recovered. 16 min of 24 kg swings on Wednesday too.

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck: Finding the rhythm

Still feeling a bit on the downside of up. This is what happens after a peak; it takes awhile for the system to re boot and start the climb back up towards a new peak again. The nervous system, the adrenals and the mental energy take it's time getting traction and starting new momentum again.
And the older you are the more it takes out of you.

This is nothing serious, but my body is talking so I am listening. My training partner often asks, especially when we are on a good upswing, when are we going to back off. And I tell him, when the body says it's time.

We do back off regularly, in a gross sense, as we always cycle the weights and the volume, not trying for pr's ALL the time ( even though they are always small, if not tiny ones i.e a one set pr, an 8 rep total pr , etc)  but going by feel.

I didn't think the 10 min swing test would "test" my CNS so much but it's been eons since I redlined at all and it had it's effect.

We were due, anyway.

Great workout yesterday but the volume is still high so I made sure to up my calories a bit yesterday as well as the adaptogens and got some extra rest.

But I knew today's walk would be hard. Well it started that way but finished strong

Woke up stiff and tight so I got extra stretch out time this morning. The first time laps were predictably slow and the split squats I did yesterday made my legs even heavier than expected. A good sign about the exercise, made it much harder for the ruck
Fifth lap time 8:23
It seemed like I had to work for every step. There was no rhythm to speak of. It wasn't that much work but it didn't 'flow' much , if at all.

But then the legs started to loosen up ( also did iso squats every lap except the first) and that helped loosen legs up too. The rhythm started to appear and what a difference that makes. You can't do long distance anything without it. But sometimes it appears when it's damn good and ready and not a second before.:)
Patience is a virtue for sure in everything but especially in endurance training.


 Every lap after the fifth got better and faster and I did not have that 10th lap slump I tend to get
Last lap was 8:10 . doesn't seem much faster but it is
:)

Have  a weird week next week as I have to do Saturdays' 36 kg workout on Friday as the BodyMaintenance course is on Saturday. So that will mean
wednesday 16 min swings
thursday  60 min ruck
friday 36 kg kb swings
saturday 8 hour workshop

this is what I train for; to be able to do this much work and feel nothing out of the ordinary the next day.

50 lb ruck
12 laps
2 hours
11 30 second isometric supported squats

combat boots worn and NO right toe issue at all. Magnum boots for the win

110 military press for some sets of 5 tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

32 kg One Arm Swings, Split squats, floor pushups, bar hangs

definitely needed a bit of a back off day today. So we stayed with 12/12 on the rep count but back off the total number of sets/reps from our PR. But I couldn't resist banging out 20/20 on the last set just to see how it went ( as well as combine the last two sets together )

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 5/5
28 kg x 3/3
32 kg  x 12/12 x 8 sets
           x 20/20
232 reps
16,240 lbs

everything's good just a bit CNS fatigued from the last two weeks ( not just training, work has been hectic too, it all adds up)

Bulgarian Split squats
3 sets of 10/10 ( rear foot up on bench)

Nice, The perfect single leg exercise now. Last time I tried these, months and months ago I wasn't ready for them. Like them for several reason. Both legs are working simultaneously and the rear leg is getting a hell of a stretch with the leg elevated . I can really tailor the amount of work between the legs ( left leg will be getting more work very soon), and I can load it
So this is technically a split squat whereas Wednesday's work are lunges. I need this single leg work bad
Still haven't forgotten about pistols either :)

Just did three sets as I want to see the after effect tomorrow. Should be fine. ready to take the left leg to another level

Pullup bar hangs

this is coming along well. 4 sets of between 15-20 second full hangs no problems, I'm going to try a different approach to chins this time. REALLY getting the hangs comfortable first and then adding in some basic swings on the bar to try to get the shoulders to release that way. we'll see

Parallel bar pushup
20
20
15

shoulders and tri's are still tired. makes sense, so we backed off

skipped upper back work. it was enough work for today
heavy ruck tomorrow too

datsit
neverquit

Thursday Ruck

Solid one today. Hot one too:) time to get in heat shape. It's the ultimate level of condition.;when you can perform well in the heat. It certainly sucks, big time, until you get in that shape but when you do it's amazing.

short and relatively fast.
43 lb ruck
6 laps
one solid hour

tracy is back as her toe is healed so that makes the ruck so much more fun :)
definitely don't think the Lowa's are the shoes. The Magnum boots feel way better. And I keep getting some weirdness going on with the right big toe only in the lowas that I don't get with the magnums

Luckily REI has a great return policy. I wanted to love the lowas but it is not to be

ok datsit

neverquit

24 kg Swing Vo2, 13 min, walking lunges, horiz pushups, kb rows

It's interesting how back off weeks are harder than testing weeks, Of course last week we tested twice, and basically at 100% effort so it's not surprising but it is interesting how 13 min can be some much harder than 20 under the right circumstances.

BUT it wasn't as hard as it was a few weeks ago after my second 20 min workout so it's getting better but everything was just a bit stiff and  tight and tired.

Used more adrenaline than I thought for those workouts as I feel that definitely under repair.
 But I expected it so it wasn't that bad.

Swing vo2
24 kg
260 swings
13,780 lbs work

A very much workingman's pace , just bend down and swing my ten reps as fast and powerfully as possible then try to get some air in 12 seconds. Then repeat til the clock says we can stop.
Certainly as much a mental effort as a physical one.

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

these too were hard and I had to stop and take  breath 3/4 the way back on the last two laps. again expected no stress

Horiz bar pushups
20
15
10
8

shoulders and tri's need a break. Last two sets were done much slower and with lockout semi holds

KB row
3 x 6/6 with 24 kg

again backing off. Sore and tired

ok ruck tomorrow and really looking forward to it

datsit
neverquit

100 lb Military press 6 x 5 ( pr) , 40 kg belt squat,floor pushups, sled, rear delt

Wow, this turned out to be a pr and I didn't know it until after the workout was over and I looked it up. Just thought I'd make a small jump from last week and do an extra set, which was the pr. Hey small pr's always add up, that's the concept.
You think that 2.5 lbs isn't much until you do it 10x and before you know it it's turned into 25 lbs without you really feeling the change at all.

Some coaches hate the small incremental jump idea and only have 45's and 25 lb plates in their gym; the idea is a neurological and skill adaptation instead of a muscular one ( hypertrophy). More muscle is ok with me :) and a  PR is a PR.

Shoulder is still feeling the best it has in ages and the overhead position continues to improve

Military press
45 x 5 x 2
65 x 5
75 x 5
85 x 3
100 x 5 x 6 sets ( pr by one set)

Really have to concentrate on keeping the left elbow under the bar more. It likes to drift on the take off and I can feel the left tricep overcontract when I do. Just tucking it in cures it

Belt squat
40 lg x 10, 12, 14, 15

these were good once the legs warmed up and loosened up a bit. Still tired from the weekend's antics

Floor pushups
 4 sets of 15

backing off I've been pushing the reps hard and the triceps are  bit fatigued. The biggest they have been in 10+ years though. My favorite muscle next to quads

Hip sled
105 x 250 ft x 3 laps

backing off here too. still a bit adrenal fatigued from last week and we have 13 minutes to do on Wednesday

Db rear lateral
3 x 15 with 15 lbs

have to keep these in they are making a difference balancing out the shoulder muscles

ok day off tomorrow and then more swings!

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck slow and heavy, as expected

The ruck after a beast training session is pretty much always the same: slow and hard. It's getting better though, I loosen up faster, die later and not as bad but it might be awhile before I can feel light on my feet after that heavy ass bell.
I changed the orientation of the load a bit too, got it to sit  up a bit higher than before( as is the standard wisdom) but it didn't feel better. I have a very short torso and lean quite a bit normally. The higher COG made me lean even more.
I'll be putting the load back as it was.
But it wasn't too bad, just hotter and muggier than usual. Heat is what really gets you in shape and that's coming. Today was barely a warmup to that :)

Six 30 second iso squats between laps 4 and 11. Lap times were around 8:15 not bad

Ruck
50 lbs
12 laps
6 iso squats
2 full hours :)

48 kg One Arm Swings 160 reps ( PR) 32 kg Goblet squat, Parallel pushups ( PR) Kb rows

Had really NO idea how this would go today. I was still feeling run down after Wednesday's swing test and thursday's ruck. Glutes and legs were just TIRED. But my back and hands felt fine so, as usual, I thought I would  just start and see how it went.
I was ready to bail at any minute if I thought at all there was a risk for injury. I wasn't sure if Wednesday was my peak or not and I certainly don't want to 'fall off'.
But it wasn't, today was and it went GREAT!

The absolute best I have ever swung the 48 kg.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 3/3
32 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 3/3
48 kg x 6/6 x 12
          x 8/8
160 reps PR
16,960 lbs!!!

fucking awesome. AND it wasn't that hard AND I transferred on both hands and alternated start arms each set. This is new for the last two times and looks like I am balanced and strong enough to do it all the time now.
I decided to break the total pr on the last set as well. another sets of 6/6 would have given us 156 reps two below the all time pr and I was feeling too strong not to go for it. No problem
Most excellent.



Goblet squats
These went very well but as usual not enough work for the legs and too much work for already tired shoulders and upper arms
Joe suggested some kind of one legged squat and I think I will play around with that; a supported pistol or bulgarian split squat or something. It's a good idea. My left leg still has some catching up to do, size wise with the right.

24 kg x 3
28 kg x 3
32 kg x 3

Parallel bar pushups
30 !!! PR
23
20

73 total reps

this was GREAT! Haven't done 30 reps in many many years. No problem!
Shoulders just got unstable and started clunking on the last two sets or I would have done more.
no complaints.

Kb row
20kg x 8/8 x 3

Just tired now but very happy!


Regular ruck tomorrow, can't wait! It feels so good to feel good AND be in shape again.:)

datsit
neverquit

Thursday Ruck

 Feeling the effects of  yesterday's swing test today! In the glutes, which is great, as well as overall energy, which is to be expected. Still got it done but it was tougher than normal

43 lb ruck
6 laps
60 minutes
last lap timed at 8:11

Tracy could ruck with me for  the first time since she dislocated her toe which made the workout that much more enjoyable


forgot to write this yesterday so getting it done Friday morning. Glutes are even MORE sore lol

Got to work that out, have to swing the Beast tomorrow :)

datsit
Neverquit

32 kg StrengthMatters swing test accomplished! 200 reps/ 10 minutes

This is just freaking awesome.  Both Glenn and I, following the same training program, accomplished the swing test today with no issues. We were on track to do another 20 minute 24 kg set but decided we might as well go ahead and test this now, in case it wasn't really working and our plan wouldn't translate.
But it was and it did.

LONG day yesterday and not the best sleep. Worked hard at not thinking about this all morning. Was almost successful.
I anticipated that the test would be much like the last 5 minutes of a 20 minute 24 kg workout and it was just about that.
The first five minutes were not bad and the last five were pretty much as miserable as the 20 minute workout.
Grip was fine the whole time, as was the lower back
I did however slip into double breathing around the five minute mark; moving that much weight that fast takes a lot of oxygen but my back was fine. I just sound like a wounded rhino :)

32 kg Swing test
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
24 kg x 5/5

32 kg x 10 x 20 sets
200 reps
14,000 lbs work

Pass!

it is nice when a plan comes together.

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps NO stopping on second lap

harder than usual given what we just did.

Horiz pushups
20
20
15
12

67 reps

shoulders a bit tired now too

Db rear delt
15 lbs x  3 set 15

perfect finisher

short and fast ruck tomorrow
SO glad to have gotten this thing DONE. Big weight off my shoulders


datsit
NEVERquit

95 lb Barbell Mil Press,36 kg belt squat, Floor pushups ( pr), sled pull, kb rows

All gave some, some gave all .

After taking the week off bar presses last week I wasn't sure what to expect today. The shoulders have been feeling very good and I have been able to replicate Mark's adjustment with a jump stretch band so I it's been " in the socket" a lot lately. that's good. Got a full one hour stretchout this morning and have been doing lots of overhead hangs too and they have been feeling better than ever.

My gut tells me my body is squaring up, finally, after almost two years since my TKR. It just feels that way.
I am also playing with  getting into a hollow position when I hang overhead trying to pull my ribs back under me more. It seems to  give me a bit more OH ROM as well as relieve even more pressure on the shoulder.

Barbell Military press
45 x 5 x 2 ( NO stick warmup today)
65  x 5
75 x 5
85 x 5
95 x 5 x 5!! this was VERY strong and solid, even the overhead!

Belt squats
 36 kg x 10, 12, 14, 15

these were strong

Floor pushups
4 sets of 20 PR! Bang, just like that. Very easy could have done more! I can see being able to do a set of 50 reps soon.

Hip sled
105 x 250 ft x 3 laps

tough finisher as always but got it done. only did three as we are testing with the 32kg in the StrengthMatters swing test on wednesday and wanted to leave a little in the tank. ( like it will make a difference )

KB rows
22 kg x 3 sets of 10

strong here too.!

ok day off and we test. This should tell us a lot about our training and if we are on course or have to change course :)
I'm predicting STRONG. :)

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck: A goldilocks workout

No problem. Not too hard, not too slow and not too fast. Just right for a Sunday after a heavy ass swing and squat workout yesterday.
Although I did get too much lat involvement yesterday with the front squat.Legs were fine but my lats got overused after all those swings AND holding the 28's for reps. Looks like I have to go back to the Goblets. No worries, at least those help me get my chest up and out- the front squats, even if I work hard at it, tend to pull me into flexion because of the position of both bells in front.

Decided not to do the iso squats today because of the lats but ended up putting them in at lap seven. the legs needed a stretch; worked out fine.

Ruck
50lbs pack
1:55 min
12 laps ( last lap timed at 8 min!)
6 sets of iso squats

BW 162.6 (  ate up a bit yesterday )

datsit
neverquit

44 kg One arm Swings ( double pr) KB front squat ( pr) Horiz Pushups, rear delts

Very solid day today. Except for my calluses which started yelling at me on the 10th set, this was not hard or heavy for me at all. Everything is falling together just as I hoped. I could attack the 44 in a way I never have been before and the conditioning from swing vo2 work made the 7's feel like a rest. Once I get the bell into motion more I am becoming much more efficient at keep it going, and keeping the speed up.

One arm swing
16 kg x 5/5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 3/3
32 kg x 4/4
40 kg x 4/4
44 kg x 7/7 x 11 sets rep PR for this weight
154 reps total rep PR for this weight
14,938 lbs!

very solid, didn't really feel tired at all til we got done :)

Double KB front squats


the hardest part of these was the cleans! obvious I haven't been doing much double work at all lately. The squat was strong but I could tell I was now tired from the swings but it is a PR and the depth was solid!

double front squats
2 20's x 5
2 24's x 3
2 28's x 3 x 2 PR

Horizontal bar pushups
25
23 !
18
12

78 total reps
this was good. Closest I've gotten to two sets of 25.  It dropped off fast after that, no surprise. I was tired now :)

Db rear delt
3 x 15, 15, 12 with 15 lb db

these went well can actually feel the rear delts starting to develop. Really need more of this

tomorrow long heavy ruck!

datsit
Neverquit

Thanks to those who gave ALL for our freedom and safety

Thursday Ruck, Lap pr!

Work capacity and cardio have definitely turned a corner! Today started out fast and just got faster. Legs felt loose and light and dropped right into a groove.
Ruck weight was 43 lbs
Six laps
55 min from door to door
Last lap timed at 7:32 an all time PR and all the other laps were 8:00 or under. 43 lbs is a good weight for me now, I almost feel like I could run!

Realized I had walked 3.2 miles just at work today! Not bad at all just wandering around the studio and another 10,000 or so on the ruck

I SO love being able to walk again. Long and fast is even better.

datsit
neverquit

24 kg Swing Vo2 18 min,Walking lunges,Parallel bar pushups, kb row

kb design by Rannoch Donald

I was very confident going into this workout and my confidence was rewarded.This was a very very strong effort- no problem at all. I was easily able to find the flow, to really link into the speed and momentum of the kettlebell and work with it to maximize my speed and power - over and over.

A big key to this is keeping the bell speed high, and for that you have to really keep the speed of the backswing high, which means NOT resisting the eccentric rep and pushing it as hard as you can without that effort slowing you down.

My groove was solid and other than a little lower back tightness ( lots of demos today too) everything was easy and the tightness resolved itself mid way through. The last set was literally the best set; the fastest and  most powerful. Perfect.

I also was in a very good mind space not getting ahead of myself at all not getting freaked out by the time left at all and not worried about getting the reps in at 15 seconds but really being able to focus on almost every small aspect of the technique to maximize speed and power.

I also think all the rucking is paying off too , as my actual aerobic base is as high as it's been in 20 years. I know that is helping

Swing Vo2
24 kg
36 sets of 10
18 min
360 reps
19,080 lbs work

 Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps and NO stopping mid lap. first time ever for all four sets. There are ways to make personal bests without going faster or further or adding weight :) Just do it better.

Parallel pushups
21
21
15
13

70 reps

have to push this one day just to get the total reps up to 85+ soon no matter how many sets it takes

Kb rows
24 kg x 8/8
          x 9/9
           x 10/10

these are strong too. shoulder feels fine after a solid adjustment yesterday from Mark and ready to ruck tomorrow!

datsit
Neverquit

24 kg KB Press!,KB snatch!, Belt squats, floor pushup pr,sled drag

My kb press and snatch are back! Where they came from I really have no idea but I decided to play with them today since Glenn is out and I need to de load the barbell military anyway. It turned out WAY better than expected and even more than I hoped. My left arm position was virtually correct and my right arm was much better than it's been in months.

Both shoulders have been feeling better the last two weeks in general. My gut says all the asymmetries in my body from the bad knee for so long are finally working their way out of the system now that the lower body is squared up again.

I've gone back to overhead hangs from the chin bar( both one and two handed) but it seems that something had shifted prior to doing this to make it even feasible. the last time I was trying these as a stretch a few months ago they didn't help at all and seemed to just tighten me up.

For whatever reason I am very happy about it. As much as the barbell press was fun to do not being able to kb press and snatch was ultimately depressing. I just love putting that bell overhead - when it doesn't hurt so much or look so bad :)

Long cycle kb press
12 kg x 5/5 x 2
16 kg x 3/3 x 2
20 kg x 3/3
24 kg x 3/3 x 4 sets

this was awesome fun :) and the bell felt light

Kb snatch practice
16 kg  x 3/3 ( high pull first, then snatch) x 3
20 kg x 3/3 x 3

started out just playing with a high pull snatch high pull snatch combo trying to see if I could even do it and it was fine. The right side way tighter than the left ( which felt almost normal! ) but it eased up quite a bit as I did more work- just like it used to. And the 20 kg sets had the best overhead position of them all.
Still needs lots of work but so much better than expected. Happy I can even do them again.Need to get back to doing snatch holds again , too.

Belt squat
32 kg x 12 x 4 sets

solid work but legs are still a bit tired from yesterday didn't push the reps.

Floor pushups
25 !! PR
18
15
10

68 reps

if not for the left shoulder starting to clunk at 22 I could do 30 reps or more. very pleased with this especially after the presses and snatches

Hip sled

105 lbs x 250 ft x 4 laps

Man! Glutes on fire. forced myself to do 4 laps but I was done after 3. Great finisher though and my HR was 165 at the end. nice

ok  day off then 18 min swing vo2 on wednesday

datsit
 NEVERQUIT

Sunday ruck 51 lbs and a steady pace

Just steady slow walk today. learned a bit from my jump to 53 lbs last week and backed things down a bit. You wouldn't think 2 lbs would make such a difference but it does. Or seems to.
Yesterdays' workload was good and back and knees were fine this AM

But I was just tired overall so I started out slowly and just made my laps one at a time.That's the most important thing when doing long distance or high rep anything, do NOT get ahead of yourself mentally it can crush you. Especially at the beginning when you have so far to go. Just stay focused on one step at a time, one rep at a time, one set at a time,

And, sure enough, halfway through, things started to ease up, loosen up and got fast. And, sure enough, the last two laps were pretty stinking hard. Just running out of gas and being forced into more fat burning :)

Also put the iso squats back in as they seem to loosen me up as much as they fatigue

51 lb ruck
12 laps
2 hours
10 isometric squat holds

another sunday at the office

ok tomorrow might be some playing around with kb snatches and presses, again.

datsit
neverquit

40 kg One arm swings 8/8 pr, 24 kg Dbl Front squat, Parallel pushup PR,kb row

Best day ever with the 40 kg. Went back and saw my last workout was a total pr of 182 reps in 7/7. Didn't want to try to increase reps and total so I went for reps.  Went great; best bell speed with the 40 ever and no problem with the load at all. Felt great the whole time and the 8's were no issue either, can do 10's here whenever I want

One arm swings
16 kg  x 5x5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 3/3
32 kg x 3/3
40 kg x 8/8 x 10 sets
160 reps
14,080 lbs

 Double front squat
2  16's x 5
2 20's x 5
2 24's x 5 x 2
          x 3 paused


these have never been so easy! very happy with depth and ability to stay upright. coming right along. Going to put these back on menu on Saturdays and put belt squats on Monday.

Parallel Bar Pushups
 4 sets of 20 reps! PR

these were stronger than ever. with the last 5 reps of each set paused at the lockout

KB Rows
24 kg x 8/8
          x 9/9
          x 10/10

strong but now getting tired. off to breakfast!
tomorrow a 50 lb ruck

datsit
neverquit

Thursday Ruck , Didn't break pace.

Another odd one. Wasn't going to ruck as I thought I had a hard to get appointment scheduled that got cancelled at the last moment. Then, it looked like serious thunderstorms ( perfect for  our drought) but that's why it's great the park is two blocks away. It's an short walk back home if something changes.
 So I rucked up with the light weight ( 43 lbs) and took off.Tracy's toe is better already but she's not ready for this so I was solo.

Right away it felt easy and light. No back issues and legs were just MOVING. I remember this from the old old days when I literally felt like I could run forever some times

It did rain but not too hard and it was clean, clear crisp and the air was full of oxygen .Awesome

So I set a fast pace and didn't break it for any moment of all six laps. I timed the last lap at 7:45 and it was the same as the rest. That's probably my all time best. Definitely for not having to slow down or change pace at all. Very fun. And the pack felt light and my back felt fine.
Also did it in a very fasted state.
Was up since 3:45 am and rucked at 1 pm. Only one handful of almonds all day.
Weight is done this AM too, 160.8
I feel better lighter and will probably drop to 158 and keep it between that and 160 high.

six laps
55 min
43 lb ruck

datsit.
neverquit cause you never know when you're going to feel good :)

when I could walk or run all day. 1979

Swing Vo2 16 min, walking lunges, Horiz bar pushups, kb rows

AAND he bounces back ! Got the back issued cleared up with plenty of rolling  the abs and IT bands AND going back to hanging from the overhead bar ( still with feet barely on ground.) My lats were definitely too too tight and didn't help at all

I thought that not doing the iso squats during my sunday ruck would make it easier on the back but perhaps not. Either way the back was still a bit stiff today but got better every moment from the morning on.
I was still plenty worried though that it would stiffen up and I wouldn't be able to do the workout but no worries.

It went strongly and was actually easier than last week's 13 minutes

Swing Vo2
24 kg
32 sets of 10
16 min
320 reps
16 960 lbs

very very strong and ten minutes went by in a breeze. And almost no double breathing the whole set and that is definitely a good sign of adaptation

Walking lunges
4 laps of 38 steps

strong too with no stopping at any point on the second lap. nice

Horizontal bar pushups
20
20
20
15

75 reps

even this came back, thank you.Looks like Monday was just a bad day. It happens. But so rarely of late I could barely recognize it

KB row
20 kg x 10/10
          x 9/9
          x 8/8

cable curls and kickbacks
3 sets of 15

ok datsit

we'll see about tomorrow's ruck. tracy broke her toe today and I might be able to go. no biggies either way this is a deload week

neverquit

85 lb Military press,16 kg KB press, Barbell hacks, floor pushups, sled, rear delts

Today goes to show you just never know how you'll do going into a workout by how you feel beforehand.
I felt great all morning. Shoulders, back knees, energy. everything. I even turned down a shoulder adjustment by the PT because everything was feeling so good I didn't want to mess it up.
But as soon as I started to warmup for the workout my back got tight, and my shoulders were even tighter!
WTF?!

Definitely wasn't expecting that but it was a good thing I had planned to do down in weights as there really was not that much choice. Have no idea where this came from but I just went with it
As if I had a choice :)
It wasn't hard pushing the weight but it was tough fighting my own body!

Military press
 stick x 5 x 3
45 x 5 x 2
65 x 5 x 2
75 x 5
85 x 5 x 5

Once I got to the work weight things started to feel much better but still a very weird  switch

Kb Mil Press
16 kg x 5 x 3

just had to try it :) The old groove didn't work at all but a variation of my military press actually felt pretty good. Still, as tight as I was today it wasn' the best day to do this but I wanted to see.

Barbell hacks
35 x 15
55 x 12 x 5

these felt very good on the legs and nothing on the back

Floor pushups
20
18
15
13

66 reps

these felt like shit. Shoulders and triceps very tired and the left shoulder started clunking on the second set after 15. Definitely have peaked with these and time to back off

Hip Sled
105 x 250 ft x 4 laps

felt like molasses! definitely leg tired.

Band rear delts ( red)
3 sets of 12

ok time to rest and stretch up as it's 16 min of swings on wed!

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck, 53 lbs

So close to the goal of 55 lbs. But as usual when I add some weight, even just a few lbs, the legs and  lungs can feel it. Added 3 lbs to the ruck today and it was not that bad at all, really. but I could certainly feel the difference from the start.

Good day today, legs and back were fine and I decided to cut back on the iso squats and that actually made the ruck easier! Decided that doing belt squats on Sat, lots of heavy iso squats on Sunday and then more squats on Mondays  is not the best idea anymore.

It was fine when the ruck was lighter but now it's not so light and I want to save it  for tomorrows leg workout. Plus the idea was to stretch out the knee ROM and  I think that's better done now with bodyweight.
Definitely can feel the benefit of all this conditioning I am doing. Finally getting in real shape, it's fun :)

Still I did 3 sets, one every 4 laps, just to stretch out the legs. Plus this saved me around 8 total minutes. Just about enough time for another lap- soon. But not today. The extra weight was enough increase

SO
 53 lb ruck
12 laps
3 iso squats
1:55 min total

Feel great! back off on Mil Press tomorrow and add in some KB front squats. Can't wait!

datsit
neverquit!

36 kg One Arm Swings,10/10 pr,36 kg belt squat, horiz pushups, 28 kg rows

When I looked back at my last 36 kg workout I realized I had done 12 sets of 8/8 for 192 total reps. Which meant I had to go at least 9/9 but was hoping 10/10 would go, at least for 5 sets. Turned out it was easier and stronger than I hoped for and I got 8 sets of 10/10 and one set of 10/10/10/10!!!

AND it was strong. This is all coming together very well. Speed and power were excellent throughout.The interval work on Wednesdays with the light bell is really carrying over to the heavy day workout, technique and efficiency ( of creating power) is staying well with the heavier bells which is also working back to making speed day easier! Precisely the hypothesis and it's working!

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5/ x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg x 4/4
28 kg x 3/3
32 kg x 3/3

36 kg x 10/10 x 8
          x 10/10/10/10 x !
200 reps
16000 lbs work!



Belt squats
36 kg x 12
          x 15 x 3 sets
these felt great

Horizontal bar pushups
20
20
15
20

75 reps
this was tough, triceps still a bit sore from Wednesday :)

KB rows
28 kg x 5/5 x 3

went heavier cause I didn't want to do any more damn reps :)
this is definitely helping and carrying over to my pressing

ok datsit. tomorrow another 50 lb ruck, perhaps a little heavier too :)

neverquit.

Thursday Ruck in the rain

The rain today caught be completely off guard. I thought we were done with any chance of rain for this year so I stopped checking. Nothing dramatic but with the drought we are having every little bit helps!

Plus I love to do outside endurance stuff in light rain, keeps me cooled off and the engine from overheating

Tracy is back from a week long flu so we took it extra easy today and just did five laps. Fast still but one less.
Ruck weight was 43 lbs
Time : 50 minutes

The above mountain is Mt Whitney, the highest mountain ( 14,550 ft) in the lower 48 states. It's a pretty much straight walk up to the summitt I am told.No technical climbing at all. Since GoRuck doesn't seem to want to schedule the Ft Bragg Challenge any time soon I am changing my goal towards hiking this bad boy some time in the near future.
It's 11 miles up and then 11 miles down. A two day hike for me I believe. There are many ways I could challenge myself for this ruck, hell, it's called road marching- I could just measure out 12 miles, load the pack up and walk it :)

And I just might do that.
But the idea of an adventure to climb a tall mountain for my 60th birthday challenge seems even cooler
We'll see what transpires.
For me, the key is to have a big goal like this in mind, it's what motivates me on the day to day stuff that i do.
Whether I actually achieve it or not is secondary to the idea of it. That's what keeps me motivated and that's what keeps me consistent

Which is the whole ballgame :)

datsit
neverquit

24 kg Swing Vo2 13 min, walking lunges, parallel pushups, kb row

Definitely a day to back off. Just in time. Lots going on in life so I got to the workout without as much mental prep as I like but that was ok because it was 'just' 13 min. Well it was a long 13 minutes,lol

Regardless of the weight this is a serious amount of work. But it was good to have a relatively short beating

Swing Vo2
24 kg
10 reps/30s
13 min
260 reps
13,780 lbs work

Walking Lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

even this was harder. Just a bit tired.

Parallel pushups
20
20
15
10
65 reps

less problem here but just stepped down

Kb rows one arm
22 kg x 8/8 x 3

ok datsit
neverquit

but you do have to back off

Ruck walk tomorrow short and fast

110 Lb Military press 3x4, 1x5 pr,Goblet squat, Floor pushups 20 rep pr, sled, laterals

Wow another very strong press day. Shoulder felt good going in and waved between backing off today or pushing through another week "up". It's been three weeks in a row of loading, from 80lb -90, then to 100, then to 110 last week. This would make it four and that should be the max regardless, so as usual I played it by ear.

Warmups felt good so I made some bigger jumps but also as usual I felt best towards the very end. Takes me forever to warmup

Military Press
stick x 5 x 2
45 lb x 5 x 2
65 x 5
75 x 3
85 x 4
105 x 4
110 x 4 x 3 sets pr
        x 5!! rep pr!
First rep,as usual was the toughest then once I got the groove I could grind. Have to be more aggressive on unracking it and use my lats even more.If I don't I feel the left tricep/shoulder taking the load and that bugs the bicep tendon as well.
If I really arch from the get go and flex my lats it makes all the difference, just like in my bench press
Have to get the weight on the lats immediately.

Next week is back off week no matter what!

Goblet squat
20 kg x 5
24 kg x 5
28 kg x 5
32 kg x 5

again this is too much about arms and not about legs. Time to ditch the iso squats on sunday and go back to 2 kb front squats here. The iso squats are harder than the goblets!

Floor pushups
4 x 20 reps! PR
haven't done this before!
80 reps

Sled
105 lbs x 250 ft x 4 laps
really feeling the glutes on these lately!

One arm rear delt
3 x 12 with 15 lbs

boring but necessary

One day off then 13 min swing set on wednesday. That should be a break!

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck, A walk in the park, plus a little more

 The ruck went well this morning albeit a little slow start; just like last week. The first five laps were just slow.Yesterdays swing workout wasn't as heavy as last week but tons of power and volume. In fact just about the same tonnage ( ten tons!+).
And as usual I got fluid and warmed up by lap 6 so all was well.
Didn't bonk like I did last week and finished the last two laps strong.
Then, went out to get the car washed and ended up walking another 45 minutes, no pack of course , but still on my feet.
This worked out well- two hours of rucking and another hour or so of just being "up" and about.
The weight on the ruck was solid almost time to put another 2.5 lbs in it too.

So
 12 laps
50 lbs rucks
11 iso squats
45 min free walk
16, 510 steps
7.49 miles
 about 3 hours

I'll take it. Mil press tomorrow. 110 lbs for sets of 4!

datsit
neverquit

32 kg One Arm Swings 288 reps ( pr), 32 kg belt squats,horiz pushups, kb rows

This went GREAT! Finally got a real night's sleep last night ( tracy's been sick for three days and I wake up when a fly lands ) and that made a huge difference. Real rest is SO nice. Plus everything's in place and I'm actually getting in great shape. I knew this was going to be strong/

One arm swings
16 kg x 5/5 x2
24 kg x 5/5 ( good jump)
32 kg x 12/12 x 12 sets
288 reps
20,160 lbs!

my  all time best performance was this weight is 400 reps done in 2008 in 20 sets of 10. So the 12 rep sets are a pr and today's workload was the best in many years. Most excellent. PLUS, the power output stayed strong until the very end, which is the real goal

I have NO doubt I can do the SM swing test with this weight now. Also I want to have another go at the SFG  swing test for simple and sinister. I did 95 reps with the 40 kg in five minutes. I know I can do 100 now AND I want to do the 44 and then the 48 kg as well. I know I can train for it.
48 kg for 100 reps in 5 minutes weighing 160 lbs will be excellent.

Belt squats
32 kg x 12 x 4 sets

deeper than ever.

Horizontal bar pushups

 20
20
15
15
70 reps

this was great as well. been  hacking about with 20 reps sets. 5 x 20 is in sight. another 100 lol

KB rows
24 kg x 8 x 3 sets

done!

Big ruck tomorrow. but great day today!

datsit
neverquit

20 Min Swing Vo2 , Walking Lunges, parallel bar pushups, kb rows

yeow! Did this one for Glenn, who was out last week and needed to get his 20 min test in. Not horrible but doing it after those 48 kg swings on saturday definitely made it harder. BUT as last time, when I got to ten minutes and realized that was the time limit for the test and it had been easy I felt much better.

Those last ten minutes though ....
This is as much a mental game as it is physical and the key for me is to stay calm, focused on one rep one set at a time. and not look up to the top of the hill I'm climbing. Just at the next step ahead. Using the momentum, going as fast and hard as I can but staying smooth

Smooth is strong. It wasn't that bad at all and I didn't even come close to missing my time intervals

Swing Vo2
24 kg
40 sets of 10
400 reps
21,200 lbs  TEN TONS+!!

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

again, this now almost a break. Quads burn but the cardio is not even close

Parallel bar pushups
20
20
13
10

73 total reps

shoulders and upper back are toasty :)

KB rows
22 kg x 8/8
             9/9
             10/10

done done de dun done!

Next week is de load to 13 min should be a breeze but the goal will be to keep power output as high as possible the entire time

datsit
neverquit

110 lb Military press 3x3 pr!, 24 kg goblet squat, floor pushup( 73) pr, sled

I knew this was what I was going to do today and it went just fine. Actually got another set of 3 that I hadn't planned on! Shoulders felt good although just because my right was feeling so fine my left biceps tendon had to get a little attention and slowed things down on the fourth set a bit. No worries the fifth was the strongest!

Military Press
stick x 5 x 2
45 x 5
65 x 3
85 x 3 ( big jump!)
95 x 1
110 x 3 x 3
       x 2
       x 3 !!!

Except for a few setups where the left  bicep tendon was weird the weight felt light and the setup good

Goblet squat
20 kg x 8
24 kg x 8 x 4 sets



this felt downright light and easy. nice

Floor pushups
20
20
18
15!!

73 total rep

5 sets of 20 sounds great and then i will try a one set max reps 50 sounds about right :)

Hip sled
105 x 250 x 3 laps

new hip  belt setup made these feel MUCH harder. That and that we haven't done these in a over 3 weeks. Glad they are back in the mix,I was just being lazy with Glenn out

One db rear delts
15 lbs x 10 x 4 sets

boring but necessary

ok day off tomorrow lots of roll and stretch
BW 161.4

datsit
neverquit!

Sunday ruck heavy and slow

It had to come to an end at some point. I was definitely feeling the effects of yesterdays swing workout in my legs and overall body. No pain; not even much stiffness, just overall fatigue.
No surprises there, actually.

Pack weight back up to  50.4 lbs, the first six laps were just slow and I was ok with that. Just made my way through them.Then, surprisingly the pace picked up as my legs loosened up very nicely. I probably should have stopped at 11 laps as the 12th was one too many but it got done.
A very nice lesson in mental tenacity too. Just breathe and take one step at a time

Overall time : 2 hours 3 minutes
12 laps  14,665 steps
11 iso squats

 Time to stretch and roll and eat up to prepare for tomorrow's presses. Hopefully 110 lbs for triples

either way

datsit
neverquit

48kg One Arm Swings, 5,6,7 Ladder 158 reps( pr), 48 kg belts squat, horiz pushups ( pr)

STRONG day! This is the best these have ever felt and this first time ever I could transfer from right to left on all sets!
Total Pr  and I've never used this ladder approach with the 48 so it was new as well. Worked great. Energy was solid all the way to the end. Grip no problem at all.

One arm swings
16 kg x 5x5 x 2
20 kg x 5/5
24 kg  x 5/5
28 kg x 4/4
32 kg x 3/3
36 kg x 3/3
40 kg x 2/2
48 kg x 5,6,7 x four rungs
           x 7/7
158 reps PR
16,748 lbs !!

everything felt great the whole time. Glenn too, strongest either of us have ever been in the swings

Belt squats
48 kg x 10,12, 14,15

these were strong as well

Horizontal bar pushups
20 (pr)
18
16
15

69 total reps pr as well :)

One kb row
16 kg x 10
20 kg x 10
24 kg x 10

whew! I'm done,was going to crawl but that is enough work for today.
Heavy ruck tomorrow, can't wait.
Feel great now too

datsit
neverquit

Thursday Ruck, light and fast

Took one too many books out of the ruck today and ended up with a 38 lb pack. No wonder we went so fast! Last lap was timed at 8 minutes and each was as fast as that or faster.
Nice to have a groove on this now, especially after yesterday's workload( which I did not feel at all today)
This is my definition of fit. Do more work than ever and not even feel it the next day

38 lb pack
6 laps
55 minutes

No worries. And no wonder it felt so light. It was.
But I can still remember my first ruck walk with 10 lbs in the pack. and I was as excited I could be just to be able to walk again. As I am now. When 38 lbs in the pack for a fast hour walk is 'nothing' I have fulfilled a dream I never thought I would- to be able to have strong functioning legs again. Every day is a holiday :)

datsit
neverquit

a day's rest then a meeting with a 48 kg kettlebell on Saturday

Swing Vo2: 20 min Pr 24 kg,walking lunges, parallel pushups/ rear delts

Man I was dreading this a bit. Glenn is out working and it was solo time again. I hoped that the last two weeks adaptations would hold but I wasn't sure.
Turned out they did.
The first ten minutes was almost easy.
My left lumbar area was a bit twingy for some reason, probably the combo of barbell back squats on Monday and a bunch of demo's yesterday on soft mats and running shoes. Oh well. It was distracting for a five minutes or so but settled down for the last five.
All in all a very good session.

One arm Swing Vo2
24 kg
40 sets of 10
400 reps
21,200 lbs

Now we start the cycles proper 13 min, the 16, 18 and 20 again. Next week should seem like a breeze

Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps

these were downright easy today. perhaps start weighting these soon

Parallel bar pushups
20,18, 15, 12
 65 reps!

One arm rear delt lateral
4 sets of 15 12 lbs

cable curls/ cable kickbacks
2 sets 15 reps

 very very happy with all of it. Mental side is coming along well too now. Didn't get ahead of myself mentally at all during the set. In fact I didn't even look at the clicker, just the clock. One rep at a time one set at a time.
In for the duration

ruck tomorrow

datsit
nevequit

100 lb Military Press 5x5 PR!, back squats,floor pushups PR/kb row/ crawls

I knew this was going to go. My all time best with 100 lbs is 5 sets of 3 and I knew 5 x 5 would be there and it was.
It wasn't that easy but not that hard, either. Bar felt med heavy in the hands and the shoulders felt great again! the adjustments that Mark made are holding well and my entire shoulder girdle and T spine feel like they are oscillating back towards neutral.

It seems that the "event" that caused me to lose my overhead position almost overnight a few years ago was the shoulder subluxing to some degree and never getting set back correctly.
Score another big one for good chiropractic!

My most painful injury of all time, a sacral subluxation was completely fixed by Tore Gufstason in ONE adjustment. This is close.
My old ability to press feels like it is returning.

Barbell Military press
stick x 5  x 2
45 x 5
65 x 5
75 x 3
90 x 2
100 x 5 x 5! PR
All time weight and volume best

Barbell squats
65 x 10
85 x8 x 4 sets
Barbell Hacks
55 lbs x 20 ( heels up on one inch /oly shoes)

lol this was fun,and easy. it's crazy that I have NEVER squatted a barbell with two bending knee's it's fun. BUT I think my quads are worked better with the barbell hack so it's back to that next week. Also putting my heels up an inch more was good too. Very low on the quads

Floor Pushups
20 PR!
17
15
12

54 total reps! shoulders felt great. the 20 was strong, too

2 kb row
2 16'kg x 10 x 4 sets

really focused on geting the rear delt and mid traps here

Leopard Crawl
3 laps 50 feet

Need to do these. HATE to do these

Ring Tricep extensions/ bodyweight
2 x 12

adding these back in

ok day off tomorrow. Forgot got a full hour stretchout this morning. Love it!

datsit
neverquit

Sunday ruck steady and fast

Another great one. No stiffness or soreness from yesterdays' workout, exactly what I had hoped. Got a brief stretchout this morning than two hours with 50 lbs in the ruck
Last laps was timed at 7:53 and was not that much faster than the others. Cool and crisp this morning which is always helpful

 12 laps
11 iso squats
50 lbs
13, 750 steps ( must be taking longer strides :) )
BW 162 lbs

tomorrow is 100 lb military press for hopefully  5 x 5 for  a big pr

datsit
neverquit

44 kg One arm swings (pr), 44 kg belt squats, horiz pushups

Another very solid workout again, just steadily climbing up the ladder rungs, one at a time.It's not much of a pr with the 44 kg bell because it has not been in the rotation much at all- the last time I did this was in Nov '14 and I did 100 reps of 5/5

But, today's workout was strong and the bell didn't feel heavy.

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 3/3
44 kg x 6/6 x 12 sets pr
144 reps
13,968 lbs!

Belt squats
44 kg x 12 x 4 sets

this was harder than I thought it would be. Legs felt tired, strangely. I expected it to feel light.

Horiz pushups

15, 15, 15, 13
58 pushups highest total to date , I think. time to start keeping track of total pushup numbers too. Don't know why I missed that. shoulders almost didn't clunk at all!

datsit, everyone had to cut our early so I will do more rows and curls  on monday. time to bring back crawls  too just have to decide where to put  them

ok ruck tomorrow

datsit
neverquit!

Thursday Ruck light and fast

Another solid one.

40 pound ruck
55 minutes
6 laps  last lap time 7;45
3 miles

a good day off then 44 kg swings on Saturday

datsit
neverquit

Interview with Marino Basic in Zagreb Croatia

did this interview last year with Marino, can't wait to go back

24 kg Swing Vo2, 18 min, walking lunges, parallel pushups, kb rows

Another very solid workout today and the extra minutes/ 20 reps was no problem at all. As I wrote last week this swing version takes more time to elicit the adaptation than snatch vo2 but it is here at  last

Didn't feel much drop off in power per rep even at the end,although there was some. Double breathing started at 15 minutes this time instead of 14 but I only did it for a minute or so and reverted back to single breath for 2 minutes Had to finish with double for the last minute.

19 min next week then into a 13, 16, 18 and 20 min cycle. I believe this will work. 10 minutes just doesn't seem that long anymore :)
Shoulder still holding up very well

Swing vo2
24 kg
10 reps per 30 seconds
36 sets
360 reps
19, 040 lbs!

Walking lunges
4 laps of 38 steps ( stride lengthening)

these are easy now ,lol especially after the swing work

Parallel pushups
15, 15, 15 ,12

best rep ever

Kb row
16 kg x 10
20 kg x 8
24 x 6
 getting stronger too.

cable curls
2 x 15

datsit!  lighter ruck tomorrow. can't wait!

neverquit

90 Lb Military press, barbell back squats (!), belt squats, pushups, and misc

Wow. didn't expect this to happen. My shoulder felt great today and didn't hurt at all during the press. Usually it takes a million warmup reps with a stick to start feeling like I can even press at all but today it was ONE stick warmup and I made decent jumps.

Glenn was out today so a weird angle on the press but man it felt so much better than it has in years! almost normal. I've been getting shoulder adjustments by the PT at our studio and it's making a HUGE difference. I knew the shoulder was out but could not get it to settle by myself. Mark McMahan from Revolutions did the trick . Wow is all I can say. SO much better


Military press
 stick x 10
45 x 5
65 x 5
75 x 5
90 x 5 x 6
not a pr but  I'm gotten to this weight sooner in the cycle than before and that is good. Plus it felt great in the rack and going up. Definitely could have done way more today.

Barbell back squats
45 x 5 x 2
65 x 6 x 3

lol, One big indicator my shoulder is better is that I can get under the squat bar again. I haven't been able to for YEARS! Once it went back in I realized I could and today was the best
Just some light high bar squats and they felt excellent! Just being able to hold the bar on the back was amazing! It really stretches the pecs and delts out just the way I need them too.

Belt squats
 32 kg x 15 x 4 sets
solid burn and pump

floor pushups
18, 13, 12, 10 PR!

One db rear delt
12 lbs x 4 x 12
cable curls
cable tri ext

skipped sled today and did the little stuff instead. the rows and rear delts are helping the shoulder too.

ok, day off tomorrow then 18min of swing vo2 on wednesday!

I'm very glad i didn't stop trying to get the shoulder to act more normal.Sometimes it takes longer than others but you won't know if you can do it if you quit.

NeverQuit!

Sunday Ruck, "legs that never quit"

" A back of iron and legs that never quit"

Those were the words from Pavel's Power to the People book that inspired me then and still do to this day. It was the description of a general about what a fighting man needed most. At the time I was tore up from the floor up and could barely stand or walk and I new I needed a different path. The kettlebell provided that path and got my back squared away. And the knee replacement  which allowed me to first walk and now Ruck is taking me to the next level.

Upped the pack weight to a solid 50 lbs and it felt a bit heavy  getting started. Mainly in my calves, as I didn't stretch out much before I left. But they loosened up quickly and the load felt fine. My legs settled right into the pace and it was strong and easy, as it has been the last two walks.

So much of endurance training is just getting the  miles in your legs at a pace that is relatively easy for you.  At some point your legs just adapt and loosen up and that's what it felt like today. I didn't even feel ANY fatigue until the 11th lap! Timed that at 8:15 which is very very good for the extra weight.

Wore the Lowa's again and they actually felt great. The combat boots are more comfy but I know, under these loads that the lowas give more support and are a better choice.

2 hour Ruck
50 lbs
15,000 steps
11 iso squats 30 second long

datsit
neverquit

40 kg One Arm Swings,Pr,Goblet squat Pr,horiz pushups, one arm kb rows

Really really solid work today. 13 sets of 7/7 with the 40 kg and it was strong. Even at the end. This is exactly what I was hoping for and the momentum is finally going in the right direction.

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 7/7 x 13 sets PR
182 reps
16,016 lbs

pretty fast paced,Glenn out and Nick's back was iffy so it was just Joe and me at the end. Cardio was fine.

Goblet squat


this was also a pr just a one rep pr but it was much easier than the last time I did two reps with it. I just barely survived that. this I could have done 5's
Going to go back to belt squats next week as this really doesn't work the legs like they do but I haven't done them in awhile so it was good.

Horiz pushups
15, 13, 12, 10
these were harder than expected. Left shoulder  a little clunky of course, as the right is feeling better than ever!

KB Rows
16 kg x 10
20 kg x 8
24 kg x 5 x 2

Cable curls 1 x 20
Cable extensions 1 x 20

great great session! now to get ready for tomorrows 50 lb Ruck walk!

datsit
neverquit

Thursday Ruck. still strong

One of my major goals was accomplished today. to do more work than I've ever done in a workout and feel NOTHING the next day. Pretty much describes how I felt today. No stiffness, no soreness no aching anything. And yesterday was strong

Took ten pounds off the ruck and did my normal 6 laps 60 minutes with Tracy.
Strong ruck and things felt good before and after

38 lb ruck
6 laps
60 minutes

Full body stretchout upper and lower this AM
60 minutes

now a days rest and 40 kg one arms on saturday

datsit
neverquit

RIP Bill Starr

24 kg Swing Vo2, 17 min 340 reps, walking lunge, horiz pushups, Kb rows

Wow, very strong day.. Very strong. Glenn was out of town so I had to do this solo so I made Tracy come in and yell at me. It helped. But I still felt like I have turned a corner with this training. It takes longer than it does with snatch vo2 but I feel like my cardio is finally adapting.

10 minutes was no problem and didn't start double breathing until 14 min out! 11 minutes last week. Definitely improvement and way more power the whole way. The sets above were 20-26.

Swing test training
24 kg
10 reps/ 30 seconds
17 min
340 reps
18,020 lbs of work ( 9 tons!)

tracy playing with the slo mo function :)


Walking lunges
4 laps of 40 steps and this was easy too! and a relief as usual from the speed swings

Horiz pushups alternate with kb rows
 15 / 16 kg x 10
13/ 20 kg x 8
11/ 24 kg x 6
10 / 24 kg x 5

the rows felt fine this time and they were weak! which really shows I need them. Definitely seems like a good thing for the shoulder. I will give crawls a break for now. I'm doing A LOT of volume and I need the peripheral muscle work more

band curls
2 sets of 12

ok light ruck tomorrow with Tracy

datsit
neverquit

80lb Military press 5x5, barbell hacks, floor pushup, hip sled

Weird one today. Was uber tired all day though I really took it easy yesterday and got good sleep. My shoulder was good at the start but had  a solid stretchout both upper and lower and somehow it got out of place again.

At the start of the workout I could barely press the stick but the heavier it got the better it felt. I must have knocked it back in :) 3 hours later it feels good again. That's life with super lax joints and decent muscle mass/

Military Press
stick x million
45 x 5 x 2
65 x 5
75 x 5
80 x 5 x 5

took a bit but it warmed up well, especially at the end. really focused on keeping the glutes tight as possible and this made the bar go up easier. I also felt and look more upright than I have in the past. Plus the bar got closer to my  chest earlier and easier than before. All good signs. You have to pay attention to the details.

Barbell Hacks
55 x 12
75 x 15 x 4

these were solid and the new boots felt excellent. slowly breaking in.

Floor pushups
15, 15, 15, 14

very good progress here. I stop when the shoulder ( left of all things!) starts to clunk, If it didn't I feel like I could pushup forever
But it starts later and later all the time. that means it's not only getting stronger but more stable at the same time

Hip sled
105 x 250 x 3 laps

legs are done.

started like shit ended like dessert. I'll take that versus the other way around

datsit
neverquit

Sunday Ruck ; a walk in the park

Another very strong ruck today, which means I will have to add 2 lbs or so to the ruck next week bringing it up to a very nice 50 lbs even. Super happy with this as I am that much closer to the 55 lbs I will need to ruck for the GoRuck Ft Bragg Challenge IF they ever get it posted!

It was nice and cool this morning which made it much easier. I definitely do better in the cool weather as I tend to run hot as it is and am NOT heat adapted at all right now. Soon that will change but for now I appreciate the colder weather for a two hour straight walk

I also like the simplicity of just walking laps; easy to keep track and to really monitor gait, breathing pace and effort. Plus it's nice hard packed sand which is much better for my feet and knee as well.

One thing I did notice today; as I was walking I started to move from my shoulders instead of swinging just the arms and it made a BIG difference! I immediately felt the connection from my shoulder to the opposite side glute! Which is how it is supposed to work but I guess I haven't been moving my shoulders enough.

It wasn't easy and will take some effort to really 'get' in the pattern but I definitely feel it is the right thing to do.It seemed to increase my speed and decrease my effort but will take some time to be able to do it naturally. Good discovery though

ok
48.6 lb pack
2 hours
13,700 steps
11 iso squat holds varied stances

not bad at all

heavy presses tomorrow

datsit
neverquit

36 kg One arm swings, 36 kg belt squats, parallel pushups, crawls

 This was a strong one. I decided to lengthen the cycle from four to five weeks since I've eliminated the 24 kg on this day. So the cycle will go 32, 36, 40,44 and then 48 kg Saturdays. Wednesday is speed day and this is heavy day.
Plus I get to set new records with the 36 and 44 kg bells which I wasn't using before :)
 Breaking the new Risto's in and they felt great today. Like my feet were nailed to the platform! Definitely helped power production.
This was the lightest the 36 kg has ever felt and I felt like I could tens no problem

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
36 kg x 8/8 x 12 sets
192 reps PR
15,360 lbs work

Solid day ,everything felt strong and the bell felt light.

Belt squats
36 kg x 15 x 4 sets
same here, legs felt excellent!

Parallel bar pushups
15 15 15 12

best effort ever. shoulder solid

Leopard crawls
3 laps of 60 feet

better but still hate these. They always are hard!

ok  let see if tomorrows ruck is strong again too! If so, next week the weight goes up 2.5 lbs closing in on 50 lbs :)

datsit
neverquit

Thursday Ruck

 65 minute Ruck with Tracy today. Strong but calves and legs were a bit tired ? strange
Wore the lowas which still are losing to my combat boots but I wore the wrong socks too and that didn't help

Ruck weight was 38 lbs, non stop walk and pace was fast.

I had a pair of these vasque hikers for years. Wish I still had 'em

datsit
neverquit

Swing Vo2 training, 16 min 24 kg, walking lunges, parallel pushups,crawls

Very good workout today, MUCH easier than last week although I went another minute more. 20 more reps, that's about 7.5 % jump in volume, plenty. It was strong too. I remember looking up at the clock at 10:26 seconds in and thinking I had already done the swing test and I wasn't feeling too bad

Wore my new Risto boots too and they were SO much more stable than my old adidas but super super stiff. I have a lot of breaking in to do but that's fine they rock.

Very happy to feel like my cardio is finally getting better> it's been tough for seeming ever!

24 kg Swing Vo2
10 reps/30 sec
32 sets
320 reps
14,960 lbs work

this is also making my swing form very efficient! Head is up and the stroke is as short as I can make it and still generate the power I need. LOTS of leg and glutes at the same time and my lower back is not feeling it AT ALL. The heel helps me stay in lordotic curve much better than flat foot and that is very good.
Didn't have to start double breathing until past 11 minutes. Last week it was at 8 minutes and I was howling like a wounded water buffalo :)

Walking lunges
 4 laps of 40 steps

after the swing torture this was almost easy! plus it loads the quads giving the very tired glutes and hams a much needed break. Will have to put a light back pack on for this soon. :)

Parallel bar pushups
15, 15, 14, 12

solid really starting to like this variation again. shoulders feel good. Found a variation of an overhead stretch I can do all day long and it's starting to make a  difference. Waiting out the tension works here as well. just had to find the right version to do it in

Leopard crawls
3 laps of 60 feet.

even this felt strong!

ok ruck walk tomorrow. great session
body weight 162

datsit
neverquit