one lift a day | 2020-58 | weighted carry

20min KB carries for 20min
suitcase carry and waiters walk
Wasn't feeling shit today so this was just easy cardio.

one lift a day | 2020-57 | ring dips

Great day! Greaaaat fuckin day!

Warmup:
Shoulder mobility

Workout:
BW+30lbs x6 ring dips
BW ring dips x27min; avg 5 reps/set

Super Set
Back level tuck rows + pelican curls or ring curls

Cooldown:
BW squat 1x10
Foam rolling hips


More on the squats and hips in the next post. All I want to say is my knees have gone from feeling wretched to somewhat normal in the span of 2 weeks. Leg work was always 'possible' but my knees would feel irritated for weeks after.

one lift a day | 2020-56 | sled pull (new method!)

Had a dream about to jerry rig my sled to be a hip pull instead of an arms pull. Attach my dip belt through the straps and BOOM. What was an arm driven exercise is now 100% lower body.

Looks like:

Felt mostly great with the exception of massive chaffing on my stomach. Will wear a tank next time to mitigate damage.

Back felt...ok with this? Feels a little tight to be honest overall. Ass feels soggy which isn't good. Don't know if I hurt myself and just don't feel it yet, or if my glutes just haven't been worked in a good long time.

20min forward walk
~150lbs resistance

one lift a day | 2020-55 | ring pullups

Warmup: shoulder mobility

Workout:

Ring pullups 1x8 24lbs

Ring pullups bwx27min

Super set with ring tricep extensions

Accessory:

1x3 pelican curls (ahhhh wtf)

2xamap ring rear delt work

1xamap lateral raise

1x3 goblet squat

Cooldown

Foam rolling hips

Shoulder mobility 

Big 3 ab work

Notes

Progress is going really well all around. Bodyweight reps per set for both dips and pullups has gone up from 3 to 4. Super set and accessory movements (except pelican curls cause wtf, more on you next) start unilateral then end with both arms. Usually getting around 4 reps total per arm per set. Rear delt stuff is unique as the goal is to go balls out. Until i start incorporating vertical presses, this is going to be the way to go to build strength (but mostly size) in my shoulders. 

Keep trying to figure out the next home gym purchase, and i always fall on a few things:

- trap bar

- 3rd pair of rings with longer straps (use for pushups and hspu)

Getting fatter but thats 100% diet failure.

And then, pelican curls

HOW THE FUCK DO YOU DO THESE. NOTHING FEELS RIGHT BUT THE PUMP IS SO INTENSE AND I LOVE IT AND I HATE IT. 

3 pelican curl negatives felt more intense than 27min of ring curls. Stew that shit around your mouth for a bit. I need to figure out how these work even if only for the negatives.

My compliment to the next dips session may not include curls at all since i found im able to do back level tuck rows. Would really like to get more stable with those before i start chasing biceps.

one lift a day | 2020-54 | ring dips

Ring dips bw+24 x9

Bwx28min

Ss boyweight curls

one lift a day | 2020-53 | ring pullups

Ring pullup BW+20 x6
Ring pullup BW x 27min
super set Ring tricep extension (one arm, then two arm)
Ring shoulder extensions 1xamap, partials when I couldn't do full ROM
5lb DB rear delt raise 1xamap
15lb partial kb raise 1xamap

one lift a day | 2020-52 | kb sumo deads

Kb sumo deads with 62lb bell

20min

Focus on speed and contraction at the top of each rep. Felt great overall.

one lift a day | 2020-51 | 15 min of dips

Pretty sore today, so letting my foot off the gas a bit.

Workout

Ring dips bw+20lbs x 6

Ring dips bw x 15min

Super set

Ring curls

Last set

Planche pushups 3x20s holds

one lift a day | 2020-50 | kb sumo deadlifts

I've been getting pretty annoyed lately. Every time i pick something up my lower back feels weak. Most days my left knee feels still as fuck.

I probably still have herniated discs, but im not in pain or discomfort. My knee likely isn't hurt anymore, i just havent used it in a long ass time. Doing high rep low side step ups feels like oil in the machine. Daily stretching and foam rolling feels like it is releasing tension everywhere. My calves were sore as fuck last night after some painful foam rolling. It felt like they had been tensed and balled up for god knows how long until i gave them a once over.

All of this is good news. My body isnt healthy, but it isnt hurt either. Daily maintenance is keeping this gravy train going. 

Enter today. It's been a long time since ive straight up done deadlifts. Swings, sure. Carries, sure. Drags, ok. None of these things really get a good hinge going for high reps as they all have separate goals.

Todays goal was simple:

Get as many sumo deadlift reps in as possible in a short time period.

Start reforming my lower back and erectors.

Build da booty.

Workout

12min 62lb kb sumo deadlift

No sets to failure

Warmdown 

4 hangs (as long as possible)

Fuck these feel good.

One lift a day | 2020-49 | Main: Ring Pullups | Many thoughts on accessory movements

Came into this with extremely sore biceps from ring curls 2 days ago. This didn't impact my top set at all, but near the end of 30min of bodyweight pullups I was down to about 1 rep/set.

Arm super sets
I'm definitely sold on super setting the 'one lift' with some sort of antagonist arm movement on the rings (pullups+ tricep extensions, dips + curls). You may say well wait a damn minute now it's not one lift a day anymore. Ya no shit. This was never Dan John's program. This was a way to train+tan while in quarantine on a daily basis so I can emerge from this Corona hell a majestic golden middle eastern eagle.

I want arms and I don't want an arm day. As long as my strength sets aren't impacted, arms stay in the picture.

One arm ring curls/extensions
Part of the reason my biceps are still sore is I tried out one ring curls about halfway through my time. This + intermittent negatives is fucking $$$$. Attempted the same thing with ring tricep extensions today and was very pleased with the results. What originally feels too easy turns into a 2-4 rep set. When that gets too difficult, switching to the two-armed version feels like it has more merit because what essentially feels like pre-exhaustion.

Shoulder flyes 
THREE??? THREE EXERCISES? Ya bro. This one takes all of 1min at the end of each pullup/dip session. Switching over to dips from pike pushups was the right call, but I have no desire to stall out or injure my shoulders just because my tits are getting the spotlight.
    
Super easy. Ring flies until you start getting tired. Then ring flye negatives. Rear delts get smoked without eating into recovery.

Warmup
Shoulder mobility

Workout
Ring pullups BW+15lbs 1x9 (level up bitchhhhh, easy set)
Ring pullups x29min as many as possible

Super set
Ring tricep extensions (one arm, then two arm when sets became 1 rep/set)

Closing thoughts
Working my biceps in isolation is definitely helping my pullup strength. My back isn't getting sore at all from this (yet) which is a stark comparison between my chest and biceps. Unsure if this is because my back is more conditioned than everything else, I also use my back for 'lower body' days, or if I'm not doing a good enough job pulling with my back. 

Edit:

Day after pullups, lats are still not sore. Triceps, on the other hand, are burning. 

one lift a day | 2020-48 | 40 swings

Like the title

40 swings

Taking it extremely easy still

Heart didn't entirely mind this cardio but my lungs are not up to the task yet. 

One lift a day | 2020-47 | ring dips

Actually completed 30min of dips today. No issues a la COVID.

Ring Dips BW+12lbs x 10
Ring Dips BW ~ 50?

Super set with ring curls

One lift a day | 2020-46 | sled drags

Took it WAYYYY easy today.

Sled drag 20min. 100lbs only.

Fuckin COVID

One lift a day | 2020-45 | pullups

Lung capacity today was a little bit mehhhh. Ended up stopping after around 6 sets, but i still made some solid progress.

Ring Pullups

Bw+ 12lbs x 9 reps

~ 6 sets of bw only

Ring Tricep Extensions

6 or so sets

One Lift A Day | 2020-44 | Pike pushups and ring curls

Warmup
Shoulder mobility
A couple of sad attempts of full parallette HSPU's

Workout
Pike pushups BW+12lbs x 7 (increase of reps from last time)
Pike pushups 30min worth of BW. No idea how many reps.
Ring curls super setted with pike pushups. No idea how many reps.

The arms superset is killer. Get some easy volume in for arm hypertrophy with little expense to the main lift. Only modification (which I was doing anyways before COVID decided to fuck with my cardio) is to do (Push+Ring Curls | Condition | Pull+Ring Tri Ext | Condition).

One Lift A Day | 2020-42 and 43 | Swings(42) Pullups(43)

Swings were fucking awful. I finished 40reps and had to stop. Felt a huge amount of liquid pooling in my lungs early on. the rest of the day was likewise not great.

Circa today, however, I've been coughing stuff up like a champ. Today was a full day of lifting and tanning.

Pullups
BW+15lbs x 7 reps (same as last time)
BW pullups 30min. Avg 4reps/set

Been reading a book on knee pain the past few days so i can at least try and deal with my asshole knee (injured last October). Literally any sort of squat or lunge makes the entire join angry and inflamed. On the other hand, the right type of foam rolling made me dancy and pain free in early march. Sone strategic softball and foam rolling past few days has done the same.

One Lift A Day | 2020-41 | Pike pushups

Warmup
Shoulder mobility (Y's, T's, handcuffs)

Workout: Pike pushups
1x5 +12lbs BW
15min BW

~32 reps total. Heart didn't like it so I took a small walk. Fuck you COVID let me work.

One Lift A Day | 2020-40 | Pullups and a walk

Today we are taking it eassyyyyy.

Turns out COVID19 didn't fucking like me pulling a sled for 20min. I spent the remainder of the day with a dry cough and wondering whether or not I was going to have trouble breathing again. Ended up sleeping upright because lying down felt not so Batman.

I still insist on doing something outside daily so I can survive this quarantine, but there is no reason to go with the original plan of 30min of pullups. 1 set of pullups though. That I can do.

Workout
1 set ring pullups BW+15lbs x 7 (1 rep before failure)
20min walk. Reading. Getting dark. Full middle east mode.

/*
Not bad all things considered. Looking forward to increasing the reps on this.
ALSO ALSO, may not be a horrible idea to incorporate this into normal daily sessions as kind of a powerbuilding approach.
Something like...
- Top set bodyweight movement + weight 1x8
- Rest 3min
- 27min of bodyweight work. Same as I have been doing.

We shall see how keeping the same two(2) movements (ex: Ring pullups, paralette pike pushups) goes. Can keep them both until the top set regresses in reps then trade out the movement.
*/

One Lift A Day | 2020-39 | Sled pulls

20min of sled pulls
My only sadness is that I'm using all of the weight I have at this point. I may need to move to a wheelbarrow sled if I'm going to fit in more stuff. At that point, I'll start accumulating actual weights as well.

One Lift a Day | 2030-38 | extended rom pike

Lungs felt iffy earlier today so i kept training to 20min. Incredibly glad i stuck with pike pushups (plus way extra rom) instead of going right to hspu. Shoulders are still weak as fuck yo.

Did not go to failure and i think that was the right call. Last couple of days ive been fuckin spent.

20min pike pushups extended rom on paralettes

32 reps

One Lift A Day | 2020-37 | suitcase carry

62lb kettlebell suitcase carry

15min

Still loving training daily. Excited to see what this does to my work capacity and physique. Whether or not lifting to failure is a good idea i dunno dude. 

An aside, mixing together different types of gpp for my lower body work (sled pulls, kettlebell swings, carries) is amazing. They each bring their own benefit to the table:

Sled - leg size and health

Swings- overall wellbeing, glute size and strength

Carries- trap size, overall the hardest cardio wise

One Lift a Day | 2020-36 | Ring Pullups + 10lbs

My 30min of lifting, listening to music, and getting a tan has become the best part of my day. Breaking my fast with lunch right after likewise feels amazing (It's more akin to a refuel than a meal).

Warmup
Shoulder mobility

Workout
30min ring pullups + 10lbs
47 reps + 1 rep to failure
Failure rep was executed like I had a gun to my head. I pulled and pulled and pulled some more despite not moving up or down. 10 seconds of hell in that position was enough.

Cooldown
None.

One Lift a Day | 2020-35 | Ring dips (BW)

46 reps total in 30min.

Absolutely knew this one was going to wreck me, but there's also the most amount left on the table for improvement. Most sets were 2 reps/set. The limiting factor is that every rep has a slow eccentric and an isometric hold at the bottom and top (as opposed to bumping out reps). Long term I think this is going to bode well for stability and strength.

Tried something new today as well. Last set included an all out hoist to failure (even pressing as hard as possible despite not being able to move). Felt pretty damn good. May apply to other movements as well.

EDIT 4/3:
The soreness in my tits is unreal. Triceps and shoulders not so much.

Exercise | 2020-34 | KB Swings 100 reps

Two handed swings, 100 reps
Basically same set/rep schema as quick and the dead but eliminating the pushups piece entirely.
15min outdoor workout that focuses on power.
My butt feels greattttttttt.