power calisthenics: Downs variation

No idea if this is a forever idea or not. Weighted carries are possible, but it's prolonging my knee healing time. It makes more sense to lean into what I can attack now and rehab what I can't.

AM

(1)

Weighted push/pull, downs

(Same movement) Bodyweight push/pull, downs 

(2)

Gut work, downs

Choose: tib, calf, hip flex downs

Straight arm holds

PM

(1)

Bodyweight downs

(2) 

Sled

Don't go to failure. You should get close anyways over the course of down workouts. 

Increase weight when you can hit an 8 down.

Switch movements liberally and often. We don't want no overuse.

power calisthenics: rehash

AM

(1) Dips + rows + swings 

(2) Mobility + abs 

(3) Pushups + pullups + swings 

(4) Mobility + abs

Tenants 

Do weighted variations every 3rd session

Progressive calisthenics imported when the top set variations become too easy (15+ reps)

Regularly go to failure

End each upper day with isolation movements

PM - options not necessities 

Carries - Farmers, keg 

Sandbag - squats, carries, throws 

Sled - pull through, rope drag

Other - pullover, cable pulldowns 

Diet

Mythical strength chaos is the plan. 

I.e. meat, eggs, and vegetables when hungry 

I don't generally audit myself when having dinner with my wife except with dessert

I really like Rob MclHenny's take on the meek. As in the meek shall inherit the earth. I always heard this as an excuse to be weak or the passed over are truly the chosen, but that's not the case in Rob's version or the biblical version. I like the version where the meek are people who have the capacity for violence and strength but choose to be peaceful. In Vinland saga, this is the core tenant of a warrior - I have no enemies. But you cannot choose to be peaceful if you are forced to be peaceful by the fact that you are indeed weak and an easy target. 

In an application to training, it is your responsibility to be strong and powerful. This doesn't translate to a 1 rep max. This translates to being a generalist with medium to high attributes accross the board. Your hybrid athletes or red mages. Extreme capabilities are fucking cool but come at a cost. Be extreme compared to the normal human.

easy strength as a base

Easy strength was built for athletes to train a single quality, strength, then spend the majority of their time on their sport. It's a minimalist program by design that can exist in isolation. As a non athelete I'm finding it's value in other ways.

Easy strength value points

- time efficient: even days that are fucked at work mean nothing. I already got my workout in. I'm low key prepping for become a father when I know I'll have even less time.

- scratches the itch for working from home. Days off when I work from home are unbearable. I need something to feel sane and easy strength provides an outlet to lift daily without excess stress 

- increases walking around strength. When you respect 'only increase weight when it feels too easy' the poundages creep up without a ton of effort.

I'm a little more than halfway into a round of easy strength and can confirm there is HIGH value with never pushing sets close to failure or even struggle. As Dan says, this feels like you are 'not doing anything'. I promise you, it is. 

So far, easy strength has NOT been something I would use to peak strength. It's been great for slowly raising the floor of what I consider light weight. A weight that was a hard single a few weeks ago (I e. Before the institution of don't struggle fuck me standing) is an easy double. I fully expect to add another 10lbs to what is 'easy' on this lift before this 40day cycle is over.

The fun surprise is that I've been slowly growing. Not a ton, but a little. For a program that is not hypertrophy focused this has been pretty damn cool. When you think about it, it makes sense. None of my reps are grinders, but they are definitely within the threshold for hypertrophy (within 5ish of failure if the science doesn't change in the next 10min). Compound that by 6-10 effective reps per day every day and you can see how you can get a little meat with your strength.

Fun surprise 2 is my mental state. If I'm pushing reps close to failure I tend to get down in the dumps and lethargic. Meticulously avoiding failure has been a great workaround.

All in all, I'm very much enjoying this round of easy strength. It's sustainable long term and opens the door for so much more. 

The everlasting schedule 

- easy strength as a base

- carries, kettlebells, and sprints to stay bouncy

- extra grease the groove upper pulls for fun

- small body parts for work breaka

Mini Workouts: high frequency and low time

I accidentally had two great workouts yesterday. In both instances, I was low on time and had a specific goal. In both instances I walked away feeling better than I started. In other news, I had the best night sleep I've had in weeks. IM SURE ITS UNRELATED.

Striking while the iron is hot on this concept. I've been gravitating away from longer (60+min) workouts for a while now. Partly because I've got things to do with my wife, friends, and job. But mostly because I just don't have the patience anymore. What can I do in 60min that I can't do in 20min? When I keep my workouts shorter but more frequent, I can scratch the conditioning itch I have multiple times a day without burying myself in fatigue. Some ideas below.

The only consistent variable (with a notable exception) is working to failure. It's ravenholm, and we don't go to ravenholm. Your notable go to ravenholm exception is for small body parts (neck, calves, tib, forearms). Go nuts on that shit.

Strength 

(1)easy strength workout. This is the base.

(2)one movement. Work up to a rep max (5-10). 

Bodyweight, kettlebells, sandbags 

(1)Juarez valley method.

(2)Dan John ladders (1,2,3 / 2,3,5 / 2,3,5,10).

(3)Downs.

(4)Straight set circuits.

Notes: 

- bodyweight only: Progress the movement if you can bang out too many reps.

- choose 2 movements from one or multiple implements, set a timer for 10-20min and go to town.

- all method top sets are NOT using your max possible reps. You should avoid hitting a set you can't complete or need multiple attempts.

- movement VARIETY is your friend. This is not a programmed section, this is candy land. If you keep rolling the dice you will get to what you want regardless of the stops on the way.

Carry implements: farmers, swing straps, leg

(1)distance and weight vary 

Small body parts

1-2 sets to failure. Use drop sets, rest pause, whatever. Think outside of the box! There are tons of angles you can use for forearms and the neck. Calves and ribs are a little more streamlined.

Stretching and Mobility

Didn't think this would be here eh? Well fuck you Elmo this is the coda to this story. There are a billion outlets to get you started. Do what you can and do it consistently.

I fully allocate my good nights sleep to stretching before bed. I did not go to bed tight and in pain and WEIRD I slept better.

Accepting injury. Sticking to the plan.

It's important I log mental paradigm shifts. I've written about doing what you can in the midst of injury multiple times. What I have not talked about is becoming numb to setbacks.

The gift of injury

Last week my knees were feeling great for the first time in a long time. I decided to take a light sandbag (50lbs) and take it for a walk. By that evening both of my knees were on fire. It didn't hurt necessarily, but everything was screaming DONT DO THAT STUPID. I lay in bed with my wife and vocalized my frustration. Phrases like 'I didn't deserve this' and 'I set myself back weeks' poured out of my brain. As always she was empathetic to my frustration. We passed out and that was that.

Days later, my knees still feel like shit. I've done nothing physically with my lower body other than go on long walks. I'm objectively in worse shape than when I first complained a week ago, but my mental state is MILES ahead. 

This is the gift I received from a set-back:

• Realizing I'd been shirking the mobility courses I purchased. My body will not heal unless I give it a reason to heal.
• Remembering my catastrophic neck injury in 2021. What used to be the inability to feel or pull with my left arm is now barely a numb buzz. Through persistence and strength training, I will recover.
• Refocus my goal on brutalizing my upper body. There is a mountain of progress I can make that is unrelated to my knees.  

2024 Goals: Ring Muscle Up, Shoulder a 150lb Sandbag, Snatch a 24kg KB for 20

First day back at work for 2024. Fresh in my brain are the physical goals I have for 2024. 

GOALS:

• One(1) Ring Muscle Up.
• Shoulder a 150lb Sandbag.
• Snatch a 24kg KB for 20.

Given my current strength levels and progress in my program, these are extremely achievable. I'm actively working towards a ring muscle up daily, and I'm laying the bricks that will allow my body to safetly murder the other two(2).

The why behind each goal is easy. I've always thought I was too heavy for muscle ups. The change was a mindset shift on bodyweight training. A heavier starting point means each rep has more muscle building potential. If I build my upper body back up while simultaneously practicing the skills tied to muscle ups, this 

Shouldering a 150lb bag is likely doable now, but not without aggravating my knee. I want to be able to throw this bag around pain free. Then do it again and again and again.

Snatching a 24kg KB is weirdly the biggest reach goal. A full KB snatch scares me even with 16kg, and 24kg is generally considered the minimum 'working weight' most men should be using before you can see much in the way of results from KBs. This is entirely arbitrary of course, but I want to throw around a weight that scares me a little now.