today was a solid fuckin win

Maybe I didn't highlight my last post enough. Or concentrated too much on the conditioning aspect of that conditioning workout. I want to emphasize what a big deal today was for me. For the last 2 years I've been freaked out to dance, sprint, or otherwise frolic for fear of messing up my back and knees. 

Today I ran. I RAN. And I'm pain free. Both during and after. I'm so happy right now. Basic shit is now back on the menu.

conditioning | sprints sleds and kettlmobiles

It's been a long ass time since ive run full speed. I truly dont even remember when. And this sucks. Because my speed was always something i was proud of and cultivated. Even without sprints, i felt a direct correlation to oly lifts and my ability to dance like a fiend.

Remove cleans and who the fuck am i? As ive gotten older, ive started to covet things i didnt have ti fight for a few years ago. Mainly speed and power. On the flipside, my conditioning has always kind of sucked. Ive had rare moments where i didnt gas out first, but those moments were rare and subsidised with substances. Enter more conditioning.

Im pressing for conditioning on my non upper body days. This means ive got to choose movements that do not interfere with my ability to press and pull weight the next day. Today this meants a lot of movement training.

5 rounds as fast as possible

Sled push driveway x 2

Sprint lawn x 2

Kb suitcase carry lawn x 2

conditioning | bw + sandbags

Been getting a little complacent with my conditioning over the past few weeks. The cards method is awesome and im not ditching it, but ive gotten way too good at running through the deck. It aint hard right now unless i go through the deck twice.

Todays conditioning:

Rounds of 60s, 45s, 30s, 15s

Each round

1. Reverse lunge left

2. Reverse lunge right

3. Bw squat

4. Sandbag dead

Reset timer to next round and immediately start.

Ex

60s lunge, 10s rest

60s lunge, 10s rest

60s squat, 10s rest

60s dead, 10s rest

Reset timer to 45s rounds

45s lunge, 10s rest

...

And so on

calisthenics | explosive legs | let's see some fucking intensity

I was a quarter into a deck of cards workout when I realized I was phoning it in. Ya, I got all of my reps. But every single rep was enduring instead of injecting speed and aggression into the mix. When I consciously made every rep a fight against death, two things happened:

• I ran out of steam REAL fast.
• I woke up out of a fog and felt like $1000000000 bucks.

This folks is quality over quantity. If you're doing something like me - running through a deck of cards for lower body, bodyweight only - then the only ways forward are to add weight, do the same reps in less time, or add some fucking intensity. I choose intensity. That bulgarian split squat jump? You should be trying to jump through the roof on every rep. That bodyweight squat? If you had the intention of leaving the ground you absolutely would. That deadlift or clean? Light up them glutes baby.

The literal only thing I've felt 'go' with age is feeling explosive. And like most things with aging, you can still have what you've always had. But now it isn't free. You have to work for it and practice it. If you practice to be slow, you'll be slow. Practice being fast. If you are only using your bodyweight, practice intensity.

bfr bands and calisthenics

Experimenting with adding bfr bands to bodyweight movements. Dis is what i enjoy so far.

Pull giant set

Add bfr

Ring pullup

Ring rack pullup

Ring row

Ring row 45deg (one arm)

Ring row 45deg (two arms)

Ring curl 

Band curl

The biceps are not the limiting factor in most sets. By the end of each set, im pumped beyond belief.

End of cards

Play card method using lower body

Add bfr after entire deck

Alternate reverse lunges until you can't 

Especially if something in this deck involved explosive legs, this is fucking money. Heavy movements after explosive movements signal more power, strength, and hypertrophic gains. Bfr introduces the same metabolic stress of heavy lifting. Time will tell if this is a money shot or not, but it's a pump from hades in the interim with 0 added weight.

massive drop set | pull chain | calisthentics

I do as many of these as possible in a single day spaced out with at least 30min between sets. All sets are completed with 1 to 2 reps in the tank before moving to the next movement. If at any point a more difficult variation isnt possible, skip it or spend more time recovering before the next set (usually the limiting factor is my hands are torn up).

Giant set

Rings towel offset pullup (switch sides)

Ring pullups

Ring rows, parallel body position

Ring one arm rows, 45deg angle

Ring rows, 45deg angle

Ring curls, 45deg angle

This gets a little bit of everything. Intensity, volume, and a sick ass pump (especially in the last 3 movement). 

No weights required. If at any point towel pullups become too easy (starting to get 10+ reps in the first sets) just make the exercise harder.