weight 4/30 208.4

April set point 208.4

where does mobility fit?

Another lightbulb moment. Everyone hates doing mobility work (note: minus the weird bendy people who make it their living). Everyone needs mobility work. Fitting it into a schedule without losing your mind? Thats tough. This morning, it's no longer tough. 

I've been using short range sled work and stretching as a super set to my morning easy strength and body building exercise. Make no mistake, i like it, but i think we can do better. Sled is best when you are getting a wicked fucking pumped in the targeted muscles. The runway i have is too short to make it happen, so this is a glorified strength exercise.

What's the better option? Mother fucking mobility as a super set. Specifically, knees over toes level 0. I.e. the shit i am weak at. Sled can be relegated to afternoon carries.

Example:

1. Ez strength

Klokov press, l sit, tib raise, calf raise

Klokov press, l sit, tib raise, kot calf

Klokov press, l sit, Peterson step

(Chinup, nordic, atg split squat) x 3

2. Body building

Archer row, elephant walk

Archer row, butterfly stretch

Archer row, couch stretch

easy strength + bb + carries: how its going

Fucking great, why thanks.

Combines the best of all worlds.

Easy strength

build strength in basic movements. Frequency builds the nervous machine engine.

Bodybuilding

weird combination of general gains body building reps and sets + one lift a day. Fatigue builds the engine. Choosing movements from a pool of upper push, upper pull, legs, biceps, or triceps. Progression in 3 waves:

- rep goal (12-20)

- one and a half reps to the same rep goal

- then, increase weight

Its fine if this takes months per movement. The goal is progressive overload of the muscles, not just the nervous system.

Carries

This is a great turn off your brain + build conditioning and get some sun. Carries include mace practice, kettlebell, sandbag, and Keg carries of all types. Like bodybuilding there is no expected pathway or timeline for improvement.

choosing EZ Strength movements

This is not right out of Dan's books although there is overlap between the concepts. 

Dan breaks easy strength movements into patterns:

- push (suggests vertical)

- pull (suggests vertical)

- hinge 

- ab (suggests wheel)

- carry (suggests varied load and type) or swing

Within each of these patterns there is nigh infinite variability. Even though you might be choosing a variation for 2-6 weeks, where do you start? The following parameters might help as they helped me.

Param inputs

What is scalable

What is easily adjustable 

What are body restrictions

What is stable

Scalable

Im going to use this example thrice, but i started this round on incline kettlebell bench press. At BEST, ill max out at 70lbs a hand. That is a very low bar to cross for something not geared towards hypertrophy. For strength this won't last the program without some creativity or deliberate difficulty additions.

Adjustable 

Also inc kb bench! EZ Strength is meant to increase the weight in the bar over time but leave room to take it off if it ever feels heavy. You know what is not quick to adjust? Adjustable kettlebells. They are fine until a bad day happens. Then everything grinds to a halt. 

Body restrictions 

My back isn't necessarily fucked, but it ain't great either. The idea of hinges or squats at any level feel a little sketch. Apply the same to any other body part that is not cooperating.

Stable

Thrice kb bench! Non barbell or bar movements are amazing. What we are trying to do is build strength in every pattern independent of stabilizers. We dont want stabilizing muscles to be the reason we fail first.

Example that fits all params

Klokov press

Parallel chinup

Nordic curl 

Ab wheel 

more on easy strength: 4 physical pillars

Morning: Set a 30min timer

Non negotiable 

1. Easy strength 2-5x a week

As written.

2. Calisthenics and sled pulls 

Use remainder of 30min not used by easy strength

Sled pulls are rest time from calisthenics 

Change angle and stability of calisthenics daily

Explore deep ranges of motion over rep speed

Afternoon

When time and energy allows

Get some sun bro

3. Carries

Vary weight and implement 

Build the engine

4. Mobility

This is always an available option to get outside without hammering the body into the ground.

its the combination that counts

What bugs me are articles or videos stating one of the following: 

- the only X exercises you will ever need!

- dont do Y because its useless.

Because. It's. Useless. This statement in particular brings me to a Dr Mike video around strongman and loaded carries for hypertrophy. And if looked at in a bodybuilding sphere, ya I get it. But to say loaded carries arent good for hypertrophy and a myriad of other benefits? 

If you just did curls, I would say you were leaving a ton on the table. If your curls come at the tail end of weighted chinups, cleans, and rows? Every rep you do is going to be money in the bank. A lot of the prime movers are fatigued from compound lifts and can settle into a hypertrophic range without losing any ability to move weight. The combination of big and small movements is where the magic is. There is no 'just do X' because it doesn't make sense.

You know who does a lot of farmers walks? Farmers. Movers. People that need to get bulky odd objects from point A to B. I dont know about you, but i tend to not think of most of these people on the job as massive.  Strong? Absolutely. But in isolation carries are not necessarily a mass builder. Add them to a program though? Bro. The biggest and strongest I've been in the last 10yrs is when I focused 2-3 days a week on Keg carries and farmers carries. No program needed. Just pick it up and walk until it sucks. Try to move fast. Everything got better at the same time which was WILD. One of the strangest parts is weight increase on the bar was not always a good barometer for success. Just carrying around bodyweight or slightly more was money in the bank.

why EZ strength

I've made this comment in lots of posts, but I'm on a roll today with EZ Strength praise. Let's fucking go!

If you find yourself endlessly tweaking workout plans, you fucked up. There is no magic program, set, and rep scheme. There is no greatest combination of conventional and unconventional methods. There is only way you can stick to long term. What drives you. And what allows you to progress. 

EZ Strength is a great conduit to that goal. 

10-15min EZ Strength. Bare minimum effort.

10-15min calisthenics a la Juarez valley method after easy strength.

Afternoon mace and loaded carries. Optional but great for building the engine. 

a not so bad 30 year plan

Bruh. 70yr old me is gonna look back on this post and say ya, this worked man.

40-55: build strength and engine

Easy strength. Carries. 

Sled. Calisthenics.

55-70: body build

Higher emphasis on Calisthenics but otherwise same thing.

This is repeatable. It removes the illusion of choice while still allowing for endless variety. This is so great that im gonna have to remember to do it.

EZ Strength with Squats and carries

My biggest sticking point with easy strength is always always always the hinge. Its a matter of time before my back says no more. And personally I've always felt the squat drive my hinges and not the other way around.

The EZ Strength omnibook has you believe 2 things are once:

- squats dont worn for easy strength

- dan is a hinge/presser, so there is some bias in why squats dont work

If I'm more so a squat pull man, I dont see why I cant make this work. There is plenty of hinge and spinal electorate work when you take Carries into account.

AM

5x easy strength 

2x calves, tibs, mobility 

PM

Mace

Carries

Easy strength example

Set 30min timer

Warmup: pushups and goblet squats 

Inc kb press + rope chinups

Front squat + hollow body

Every set above ends with a sled pull

Remaining time used for calisthenics circuits + sled

Carries and mace

Farmers, Keg, kettlebell, sandbag 

Mace varies