week 4 | carry and swings

Taking it easy on the back today (no weight vest). Found out swings feel even better if your butt fights the weight on the swing down.

10min carry 42lb kb

3 rounds 40/20 swings 

week 4 | commentary on chinups

Taking it easy on actual workouts. It's possible my back needs actual time to heal, so I'm sticking with 100% upper body work and daily walks for the next 1-2 weeks.

It feels great to be back on daily chinup work. I've noticed that greasing the groove works wayyyyy fucking better when the two moves used are completely divorced from each other.

WAS doing:
Chins (weighted)
Dips

STARTED doing:
Chins (BW only)
Ab wheel

rp | week 3 | pushups and belt squats

Actual lifting session! Working with what i have around at the moment.

Elevated pushups reverse pyramid

- used paralettes with fat gripz

- legs elevated on the second run of a ladder

Bw+50lbsx5

Bw+30lbsx9

Bw+10lbsx9,5,3 rest pause 

Belt squat

1x30 100lbs of kettlebells

Rested between reps when needed

condition | week 3 | throws and swings

10min throws

4 rounds swings 

condition | week 3 | carries and swings

Another great fuckin workout. Not sleeping great so took this one super easy. Shoulders, back, and knees all feel pretty good right meow.

10min
42lb KB suitcase carry
20lb weght vest

3min
Soft style KB swings 40s on / 20s off

Dinosaur Training: Sandbag workout

From Brooks Kubrick's book 'Dinosaur Training' chapter on barrels and sandbags. This workout is meant to be done methodically (i.e. don't rush through sets, this is not a conditioning workout) with a goal of training stabilizing muscles.

5x1 Clean and press | 100-150lb sandbag
5x1 Bear hug and carry | 100-150lb sandbag | Each set until you fail
5xamap Curl | 100lb sandbag | Singles are fine
5x1 Front carry or farmers walk | 100-150lb sandbag | Each set until you fail
1x50 Deadlift | 150lb sandbag | As many sets as needed to hit 50 reps
1x1 Shoulder carry | 150lb sandbag | Each set until you fail | 1 set per shoulder (2 sets total)

condition | week 3 | throws and swings

sandbag throw 10min
3 rounds kb swings 40s on / 20s off

Loving this shit.

Had to take my rings down temporarily so the grease the groove work is on hold (Pure conditioning for the time being). My right shoulder has been giving me problems, so I want to focus purely on GTG chinups once I'm back. Specficially, BW only reps.

condition | week 3 | carries and swings

Rolling a die to determine what conditioning move and what vest weight will be used.

Today: 

10min carries

42lb kb

40 lb vest

3 rounds 40/20

Soft style kb swing 42lb

I feel way safer with the soft style kb swing. Its a nice end to a workout instead of being the workout.

6 weeks | week 2

Cannot tell you how many fucking times i wanted to switch methods. Again. What stopped me wasnt something noble. What stopped me was wondering when the fuck id be able to do it. 

Im quite fond of the endless mini workouts with a few conditioning days mixed in. 

Today went great! 

Ring Pullup +10lbs x 11, same reps as last week + 10lbs

Ring dips x11, 5 more than last week

Goblet squat 1x30 42lbs

Accessory , 3 sets of amap

Sandbag curl

Sandbag press

Band shrugs 

week 1 test | 2020-75 | ring stuff, condition

Took the day off yesterday to let some of the fatigue bleed off and glad i did.

Workout

Ring pullups 1x11,bw

Ring dips 1x7, bw

Kb weighted carry 20min

- suitcase

- rack

- waiters

Band shrugs

Ring curls

Both sets were super strict with pauses at the end of every rep. Im still not used to the range of motion on these so I'm not ready to add weight. The pullups, however, ill add weight for next week. 

I think it's better to keep with just dips and pullups until my progress slides a bit (instead of rotating in rows, pullup variations, or pike pushups). Went a bit ham on accessory cause why not.

Reminded myself how much i fuckin love one handed loaded carries. It's amazing conditioning and a great restorative for shoulders and back.

6 weeks | Week 1

Fun fact. I've felt ragged since incorporating one lift a day. Whether that's because I'm not eating/sleeping enough or my training is driving me into the ground, I don't fuckin know. I'm tired of switching around.

6 weeks. Remember. RE_MEM_BER.
Daily:
- Ring pullups, ring dips, ring rows, and pike presses
- all grease the groove, do not even flirt with failure

1-3x a week:
Quick and the dead or sandbag throws or loaded carries
Followed by band good mornings

Edit: this shit is harder than it should be. Every day i dream about what i wish i was doing and its bullshit. Stay the path. 6 weeks.

quick and the dead | 2020-74 | 100 reps

30min

16lb kb x100 reps

Knuckle pushups x100 reps

5/4 scheme 

maintenance | 2020-73 | volume target 52 pullups, also dips

Woke up annoyed. Want to sleep. Did my stuff.

52 pullups in 20ish min
only about 20 dips but concentrated on better form

maintenance | 2020-72 | volume target 51 dips and pullups

Rings all around. Felt slightly harder than yesterday, but i match or exceeded reps per set every time in comparison.

Total volume

Ring pullups 58

Ring dips 53

Volume target: 51

Total time: 13min

Mentioned this yesterday too, but this feels really, really great. Wouldnt mind a 2 a day once my schedule nornalizes.

- day time pullups and dips

- afternoon explosive stuff (throws, jumps)

maintenance | 2020-71 | ring dips and pullups

Time is tight this week due to an insane 1 week implementation. Not sure if lifting heavier is burning into my recovery but it sure as shit isn't helping.

This morning I reverted to an old Chad Waterbury standby.
https://www.t-nation.com/training/13064-pull-ups-in-5-months

Aggressive high frequency bodyweight only movements on rings.

Today
59 ring pullups
51 ring dips

Broken into about 6 sets with 3min rest

I can't deny how good I feel right now. Not sure if that is positive feedback shining a light as if to say YES YES YES MAN this is the thing or if a lower intensity day was needed.

one lift a day | 2020-70 | strength and hypertrophy | ring rows

Absolutely didn't feel like doing pullups today. Did ring rows as singles clusters and that felt fine just fine.

Ring rows + 30lbs

10x1, 20s rest between clusters

3min rest

10x1, ditto

3min rest

5x1, ditto

3min rest

5x1

3min rest

Ring rows bw only

1x18

one lift a day | 2020-69 | strength and hypertrophy | handstand pushups

Time is short today and I've been feeling pretty worn out.

Switched from rest pause to its cousin clusters.

Handstand pushup x BW, dead stop each rep
15 single reps
10-30 seconds rest between reps

I would have added in some pretty significant rest if the reps slowed down, but everything looked solid.

one lift a day | 2020-68 | strength and hypertrophy | ring pullups

Ring pullups

Set1: 30lbs 6,3,2

Set2: 10lbs 9,5,3,2,1

Set3: bw 11,7,4

Total volume: 53

Time: 15min

Top set
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZ80sAsyRwk

Accessory 

Single arm ring curls 1xamap per arm (alternate arms)

Single arm ring rear delt (ditto)

one lift a day | 2020-67 | sandbag throws

Sandbag didn't explode this time!

Spent 20min throwing the sandbag over my head. This worked way better than saying I'm going to do X reps per minute. More so went like:

• throw the bag overhead
• wait a little
• do it again

Works great. Was fuckin hard. Looking forward to do it with more weight in the future.

one lift a day | 2020-66 | strength and hypertrophy | ring dips

Been a week since i started doing legit one lift a day. Definitely seeing a little less definition in my arms due to the decreased direct arm work, but most of what i saw were just aesthetic pumps. Strength is up across the board on all movements, so no complaints.

Interested in how sandbags are going to change the dynamic (assuming this one doesnt rip).

Warmup

Shoulder mobility

Workout: ring dips

Set1: +30lbs 10,5,3

Set2: +10lbs 9,4,2

Set3: bw 11,6,2

Total volume: 50 reps

Total time: 15min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9PYOZJk9No

one lift a day | 2020-65 | power | KB Swings

100 swings 45lb kettlebell
Feels OK on my lower back

I'm feeling a little tired overall.

one lift a day | 2020-64 | strength and hypertrophy | close grip pullup

EARLY START BROTHER

Tomorrow we will retry sandbag tosses with a new sandbag (i.e. some shit bag I bought and never used). Today I rehashed pulls again and you know what. I say fuck bodyweight rows. Fuck-em. They feel...ok? I like vertical pulls 100% better so vertical I will pull.

Warmup
Shoulder mobility

Workout: Close grip pullup
Set1: BW+30 x5,3,2 (video)
Set2: BW+10 x7,5,4
Set3: BW x11,8,4

Total volume: 49
Total time: 15min

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ZRHK2QpK30&t=17s

Really impressed with the last set. This variation felt great overall, but it helped a ton to switch over/under grips every set.

one lift a day | 2020-63 | strength and hypertrophy | vertical presses

Man oh man did I want today to be a sandbag toss power day. And it was too, until the fire nation attacked (i.e. the sandbag exploded after rep 4). Called an audible and did presses instead.

Warmup
Big 3 back prehab
1x30 per side weighted step up

Train
HSPU Set1: 7,1,1
Pike PU Set2: 7,5,5
Pike PU Set3: 6,5,3

Total volume: 40 reps
Total time: ~15min?

one lift a day | 2020-62 | strength and hypertrophy | tuck lever rows

Interesting attempt at exercise. I have 0% of the motor pattern down for these, so these reps have less to do with a lack of strength and more so a lack of skill. I need to be able to do a row without a barbell, so my options are basically:

• Ring rows
• KB rows
• Dis shit I'm doing now

I can give a billion reasons why I'm ignoring the first 2, but it comes down to they're not interesting right now. 

Rest pause sets

Set1: Bw+10lbs, 3,3,3

Set2: bw, 6,5,5

Set3: bw, 5,4,3

Total volume: 37 reps

Total time: 15min

Set1 filmed. Sideways for reasons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVFtrUBEVTo&t=28s

one lift a day | 2020-61 | power | kb swings

Couple of adjustments here that all proved beneficial.

Changes: 

- warmup included back prehab big 3

- swing stance is feet straight ahead instead of slightly pointed out

- each set starts 5s earlier by lightly picking the bell up and starting the swing 

- add some fuckin aggression. Make so.e noise

Warmup

Big 3 back prehab

Workout

Kb swing 45lbs, 100 reps in 15min

5 reps / set, 1 set every 30 seconds

Rest 1.5min after every 4th set (every 20 reps)

Cooldown

Unfucked my sandbags by releasing about 50lbs into a duffle. Practiced a few things for future workouts.

- carries on shoulder 

- throws forward

- throws behind (like a keg toss)

All bore fruit. 

one lift a day | 2020-60 | dips, actually one lift dingus

Doing more than one lift is not one lift 

DOING MORE THAN ONE LIFT IS NOT ONE LIFT 

the point of olad is to lift heavy, lift often, and remove junk volume. This is not what ive beem doing. Remember this.

Warmup

Shoulder mobility

Workout, ring dips, rest pause

Bw+30 x 7, 4, 2

Bw+10 x9, 5, 3

Bw x10, 6, 4

Total reps: 44

15min

Changes

Filming myself lifting these past few days was a great idea. Couple of notes:

1. I'm still too fucking fat.
Teetering constantly around the idea of fasting. Even enjoying fasting. But I keep edging back to 'well I just lifted so I should probably eat.' Bro. What gains are you trying to hold onto?

Later down the line once I can safety say I'm actually actually lean, it may make sense to ease back on the fasting gas. But for right now, it's time to use what I know works.

20 / 4 fasting window.

No idea why, but 16/8 is dogshit for me. The later I push my window in the day, the better and better I feel and look. Seeing as most of my training now is bodyweight based, strength losses will be mitigated by corresponding fat loss.

2. I'm doing too much shit.
I stated in a previous post that adding a few assistance movements to the 'one lift a day' isn't breaking the bank. I still believe that. But super setting every main lift with an arm movement is a waste of precious time.

There's nothing wrong with a little arm work at the end of training. Will need to see how lowering arm volume overall impacts my ability to level up with pullups and dips.

one lift a day | 2020-59 | ring pullups

Ring pullups BW+30lbs x 4
Ring pullups BWx25min

Top Set
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqoWLcYSxNg

Nothing to report here. Very average workout.

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.

Exercise | 2020-33 | rows

Nothin much to report.

61 rows in 30min

Lungs feeling much better

Ninja edit: Shoulders are not really sore from yesterday in the same way that my lats were SORE AF from pullups (and likely will be again after these rows). I think the major differences are:

• Each pull rep has a firm contraction on every rep. The pushups were just banged out.
• Pike pushups are still kind of new to me and aren't as taxing as their sexy cousin HSPU.

Exercise | 2020-32 | Pike pushups

Muscles were ready to go, but my lungs are heart weren't. All this meant is I cut back on the volume a bit by taking longer rest periods.

It feels GREAT to get some sun while getting in a quick lift. This is my shit. Repeat. This is what I have been looking for. I'm so happy this misfortune helped me find opportunity.

Warmup
Shoulder and knee mobility

Workout
30min pike pushups = 52 reps
Feet elevated on ~2ft box
No paralettes or weight added yet

Cooldown
Same as warmup

Exercise | 2020-31 | lateral drags

Tried lateral sled drags for the first time. What did NOT work well for me was: 

1. Crossing leg over leg. That shit made my knees feel terrible and i felt nothin in my glutes.

2. Shuffling as fast as possible. Momentum pulled the sled from my bacl way more than from my hips.

What actually worked for me.

3. Letting momentum completely bleed out of the sled. Move laterally enough to take the slack out, then use the leg furthest away from the sled to explode to the side. Repeat.

4. Same as (3) above, but contiual quick shuffles using the same foot to explode laterally. Stop anytime you stop feeling your hips drive the weight.

(3) felt harder but was easy cardio

(4) was easier but was much harder cardio

Warmup

Shoulder mobility (t's, y's, handcuffs)

Foam roll knees and quads

Warmdown

Same as warmup

home gym | current stuff

Current inventory and next purchases.

Calisthenics
Olympic rings (plastic)
Olympic rings (wood)
18in Paralettes
Dip station (not used anymore)

Misc
10ft lengths of chain (3)
15lb kettlebell
45lb kettlebell
62lb kettlebell
Ab wheel
Weight vest (20lbs)
Weight vest (50lbs)
Ghetto sled and ~70lbs of sand

Wish list
Trap bar + weight set

one lift each day: bodyweight version

Got a new horizon ahead of me due to corona fucking my lungs. The name of the game is getting lots of vitamin D while getting in a workout. Lift outside, and lift daily.

Here's how we do:

Lift time~11 to 1

No sets done to failure

30min per day

Schedule

Sat - pullups

Sun - pike press or hspu

Mon - sled drags

Tues - rows

Wed - dips

Thurs - sled drags

Fri - wildcard or off

Progression

Week 1: 

bodyweight only 

Focus on volume

Week 2: 

Add weight and/or range of motion

Strive to get 1/2 the volume of week 1

Week 3:

Add weight and/or range of motion

Strive to get 1/2 the volume of week 2

Week 4:

Off

Note: These workouts will replace regular grease the groove workouts during the workday. Instead of GtG, I'll focus on shit I still need a ton of work on (see: shoulder mobility, knee mobility, ab strength).

Exercise | 2020-30 | easy there tiger

First exercise since i started feeling ill. Lungs are still pretty shoddy so i played it extremely safe.

All in all, i accidentally found something that may work better than grease the groove while also incorporating my desire to get some daily sun.

Warmup

Shoulder and knee mobility

Workout

30min of ring pullups

No sets to failure

Total volume 63 reps bodyweight

Get some sun between sets

I feel ok after this. Not great not bad. Still recovering. 

COVID-19 Experience

I can't sleep because lying on my back makes my shortness of breathe come out. So now I'm working  and watching let's play's of Half Life Alyx.

If anyone is looking for shit on this disease, here's my info.

M35
No past history to be worried about except pnemonia in middle school (although this even has made me repeat every sketchy decision I've made for my lungs. Thanks brain).
I've been in isolation for weeks already since I work at home. I have no idea how I got this.
Right now my symptoms lie in the mild to moderate range. Kinda fucking scary but not ER scary.

Consistent across all days:
low to no sex drive (may be very specific to me on this one)
symptoms come and go with the wind

3/16
Felt...something? I didn't feel bad or anything, just a weird I'm gonna get sick feeling.

3/18
Last workout I've completed. Was feeling kinda weird going into this but a tank right after.
All week my usual grease the groove pullups/dips/rows felt off. The strength just wasn't there.

3/20
Actively not feeling great. No fever. Just not kicking ass at work and actively getting stressed/annoyed at people.

3/21
Mild headache. Super low energy but can't sleep. I'm basically horizontal all day. My back hurts and feels like it weights 1000lbs. It's making weird ass noises like I'm farting and I don't understand why. I attribute this to allergies and my back generally being an asshole.

101 fever hits at night. I'm a little disoriented. Freezing and hot at the same time. I start wearing a onesie with a hoodie inside.

3/22
Wake up feeling ok but a headache hits the moment I get out of bed. I'm also covered in a pool of my own sweat so that's cool. No appetite.

I spend the entire day horizontal. Low ass energy but otherwise I feel ok. By bedtime I feel actually really great.

3/23
Wake up in a pool of my own sweat again. I'm not enjoying how i feel but it's not bad either.

Then the shortness of breathe hits and it suucccckkkkksssssss. Like sucking air through a tunnel. I can breath but it's now a conscious effort. Sometimes there is a small tightness in my upper chest, sometimes not. This happens on and off a few times a day ranging from 5min - 10min (I didn't time this, and every time honestly felt like an eternity).

The second loss of wind got triggered when my girlfriend and I went for a slow walk outside. Literally 1min of walking and I had to ask her to stop and turn around.

I tried going to bed but I started sucking air again. So here we are.

Will update this thread as the days keep going. Stay safe people.

EDIT1: 3/24
Well not sleeping last night sucked but I actually feel pretty excellent right now. No symptoms except the same crazy sweats and a very slight chest tightness. Was able to get some sleep last night. Girlfriend worked from home today in case we needed to escalate.

Today has been a pretty good day all things considered (i.e. compared to the shitshow yesterday). Tightness in my chest and shortness of breath comes back if i move around quickly but goes away immediately if i chill. No fever. Slight pain in my neck. Mentally not 100% but that can be attribited to fucked up sleep as well.

Cant sleep lying down again. Breathing is miles better than yesterday but still not confortable. I made myself a makeshift bed on a chair.

Edit2: 3/25

Happy birthday to me!

I slept kinda! WEIRD DREAM. I was on a cliff face on top of violent rapids. People were on the face with me quickly traversing to the right as the water slapped ua and threatened to drag us under. I had a burlap bag with me that i used to pull in tiles from the wall (no idea why). I did not see anyone fall in but i overtook a lot of slower climbers on the way. The rapids were not like regular water. The nornal water was about a 2 in intensity with intermiddent waves that moved at 100mph that would slap the walls.

On the other side, i hung out for a few minutes and asked where the exit was. There was a brief conversation with an kld acquaintance on how was Pixar animation acceptable and anime not (comparison Up v Neon Genesis Evangelion). At the end of this conversation i was told there was no exit. You exit the way you came.

Back over the cliff face, except this time there was a fancy dinner party. Climbers had wine or were not particularly moving at all over the rapids. One person i knew from yesrs ago - scott - was flying solo and laughed when i passed him. 

Woke up with a sore throat. Still minor.

Edit 3/26

Slept much better. Feel pretty good overall. Still have a nasty wet cough but nothing hurts. 

The only thing that still sucks is lying down. Feels like there is a plug in my lungs.

Edit 3/27

Best day yet. I actually slept lying down last night! Im still havjng trouble with activity (lung capacity is fucked) and im coughing shit out of my lungs but physically and mentally im great.

Edit 3/28

Sleeping isnt an issue anymore. There are still random pockets where i get a little short of breathe, but they last 2min and are extremely minor compared to last Monday. Little yellow flags pop up periodically but then amount to nothing.

Edit 3/30
Feel more or less back to normal. Appetite is normal, sex drive is normal, sleep/breathing/energy is normal. Still taking workouts easier than I normally would but otherwise things are good.

Edit 4/7
Shit is weird dude. I'm still fine for the most part, but I get random light symptoms from time to time.
- shortness of breathe for ~5-10min
- sore throat
- sleep patterns are WEIRD (I'm up at 4 whether I like it or not)
- sex drive is 0

Edit 4/15
Rarely cough shit up anymore. Lung capacity is definitely not 100% but it's still better. Taking it easy on conditioning for the next week or so. Stopping any workout if i start to feel even the tiniest bit meh.

Good news on the lifting front is I can always get 1 hard set in. It doesn't really take a lot of conditioning for one calisthenics set of 5-10. Once I start ramping up the volume though, lungs be angry.

Each week kinda follows a cycle. I get a little worse near the beginning then gradually better near the end. But each time I get worse it's easier and easier to deal with. Eventually it will be gone.

Exercise | 2020-29 | dragssss

Man these are so fuckin great. I feel like a million bucks. 

Step1: Load the sled

Step2: Turn on music and set a 20min timer

Step3: Drag the sled for 20min

Step4: profit?

Im finding i like slower but more consistent pulls with heavier loads. This means ill get less reps overall but it's a solid 18 to 20min of tension.

Warmup: bouncy bouncy bounces 

Drags: ~150lbs for 20min

Style: straight backwards ir zigzag backwards

Thoughts for next time:

- i want to try a lighter load but do side pulls (trying my regular backwards pull was hell)

- the ratio of drags to quick and the dead should be 2:1. Quick and the dead is amazing but it has a wear and tear factor sled drags just dont. I feel like blood is pumped to every part of my body. This is a money fucking exercise.

grease the groove week 2 revisited

2 days into week 2 and ive made some judegement calls.

Dips: removing the added weight. No reason why i need to shoot for anything but more volume and stability. My ability to externally rotate my shoulders is not so hot yet. Lots to work on.

Minor assistance: ring curls and ring rear delts. Get in easy reps.

Stretches: stretch chest lats and shoulders after ever set 

Exercise | 2020-28 | quick and the dead 100 reps | garlic

100 reps one handed swings

100 reps explosive pushups

I feel, ok? Corona virus? Bueler? Not sure if im tired or infected. Adding raw garlic to my morning lentils cause why the fuck not.

One handed swings felt kinda wrong? Again, not sure if this is cause I'm tired or fatigued or whatever. 

Week 2: No sugar

Still not really difficult to stay off of the sweet stuff. I've asked Ana to buy whatever she wants, but I'm personally not going to bring sugar into the house.

No cravings that were difficult to dismiss. I'm definitely finding full day fasts are way harder (usually I'm good until around 230p and then I want to eat the world) which is annoying but more a willpower thing than a sugar thing.

Body composition has remaining pretty consistent. Energy levels and well being pretty much the same as they have been. Sex drive slightly lower than usual.

Grease the Groove: Week 1 Testing Day

Testing day results 
[Ring Dips]
Last week: 8 shaky ass BW dips
Today: 14 easy stable BW dips
Next week: 2-3reps/set with 15lbs added
GREAT progress. I've noticed the best gains in stability over everything else.

[Ring Rows: Feet Elevated]
Last week: 9 BW rows
Today: 10 BW rows
Next week: 5reps/set

[Ring Pullups]
Last week: 4 BW pullups
Today: 7 BW pullups
Next week: 3reps/set


Very happy with how things have gone in this first week. All markers increased, and all movements feel way more stable than they did even a week ago. For real, my dips last week were shaky and grindy. This week I felt like a piston.

Pullups and rows were a very slight disappointment, but I'm also doing both of them collectively less than dips (set1: dips + pullups, set2: dips + rows, set3: dips + rows, set4: dips+pullups) so I'm getting less solid practice with each. Progress is still progress.

ethos | grey hair exercise

Extension of the 'types of exercise' post a few weeks ago. This is a collection of the things that are actively working for me and why. The grey hair factor points to why through injury and random age bullshit I'm choosing to do what I'm doing.

2x a week: Quick and the Dead (Pavel)

• Type: Power training
• Length: 28min
• Volume: 100 reps KB swings, 100 reps explosive pushups
• Difficulty: Medium
• Risk: Medium
• Grey hair factor: Captures the element of the explosive training I actually want to do (see: cleans and high pulls) with a fraction of the risk.

I've found it best to only engage when I'm feeling fresh after a good night's sleep. The only time I've ever actually gotten hurt was jumping cold into 32kg swings after I woke up feeling like ass with a lower back that was already fatigued from everything else that happened that week.

Risk is listed as medium because of repeated hinges under load. 

The goal here is to apply more power over time. Each rep should be as savage as humanly possible. Eventually some measure of level up params can be applied, but these can be farrrrr in the distance. Level up params:

• Lvl1 KB: Add forceful downward push to swings
• Lvl2 KB: Add band tension
• Lvl3 KB: Heavier bell
• Lvl1 Pushup: Add band tension
• Lvl2 Pushup: Add weighted vest 

Warmups include:

(inside)

• Standing banded side to side walks (I do this while drinking coffee).
• Front and side planks. 1-2 reps per side focus on full body contraction below the neck for ~10s per hold.

(outside)

• Kettlebell sumo deadlift 2x10 super set with...
• Suitcase carry ~30yards each hand
• Swings (lighter bell) 2-3x5

Warmdown includes:

• Hanging from rings a la spinal decompression
• Front and side planks 1-2reps of 10s per side.

1-3x a week: Sled drags

• Type: Conditioning
• Length: 15-20min
• Volume: No set volume. As much as possible.
• Difficulty: Easy
• Risk: Low
• Grey hair factor: Builds legs and work capacity with very little injury risk or spinal loading. Tonic effect on knees and back from repeated concentric loading.

Look, we all want to do squats and deads and cleans and blugghghghghhhh. Sometimes it's not in the cards son. And even though my knee issues are really more 'quads are too fucking tight' issues, I'm enjoying keeping or growing my legs from something that makes me feel nothin but great.

The other major benefit to sled drags is they are great replacements for otherwise shit days. So let's say we are looking at a day when I'm not feeling 100%. My back is kinda meh, knees are kinda meh. I'm just overall tired. You can still always, always get in a sled drag. Fuck man, just take a light load and pull it around for 20min.

Level up params: Add more weight to the sled. This is not a progressive overload thing. Sometimes do heavy pulls. Sometimes do light pulls. Don't over complicate things. 

Warmups and warmdowns are the same as quick and the dead, although I've noticed less warmup is needed for sled drags to hit a groove.

5-7days a week: Grease the groove

• Type: Strength and hypertrophy
• Length: 1-2min per set. As many sets as possible per day (15min <= time between sets < 2hrs).
• Volume: 1/2 reps/set as testing day. Strive to have at least a 1:1 ratio between presses and pulls.
• GTG Movements: Ring dips, ring pullups, ring inverted rows, front/side planks.
• Difficulty: Medium
• Risk: Medium
• Grey hair factor: Build upper body size and strength with little to no fatigue.

Previous attempts at GTG used KB presses. It worked. Extremely well. The problem I found was that in my time of injury, repeated (even light) loading of my lower back via KB cleans fucked me up over time. Replacing KB presses with something with less spinal decompression (i.e. ring everything) is a nice sub both because of the safety factor, but also because bodyweight calisthenics are extremely easy to load (whereas each kettlebell is both expensive and a fairly large increase in weight). 

This is the only method on this post that strives to use classic progressive overload after successfully increasing reps under load on each testing day. If you have to round on 1/2 reps, round down. Planks have no level up structure.

Level up params:

• Testing day: Attempt to perform 12 reps on ring dips, pullups, and rows.
• Training day: Each set, perform testing day reps / 2. Stop any set that slows down even slightly. Isometric pauses on dips and rows are welcome additions to avoid staleness.
• Testing day (following week): Retest for 12 reps. If you hit 12 reps, slightly increase weight (5-15lbs) and restart.

Example:

• Saturday (testing day): Dips 8 reps, Rows 9 reps.
• Training day (Sunday - Thursday): Dips 4 reps / set. Rows 4 reps / set. Front/side planks 1-2 reps per side.
• Saturday (testing week 2): Dips 14 reps. Rows 10 reps.
• Training day (Sunday - Thursday week 2): Dips+5lbs 2-3reps/set. Rows 5 reps / set. Front/side planks 1-2 reps per side.

Exercise | 2020-27 | quick and the dead 100 reps

This shit fires me the fuck up. Power training for the win.

100 two handed swings 20kg kettlebell

100 knuckle pushups 

Warmup this time was way better. Felt like my swings were powerful right out of the gate.

Warmup

Sumo deadlift 2x10

Suitcase carry 50yards

Swings 3x10 8kg kb

Grease the groove: Week 1

Grease the groove sets are going extremely well. Once every hour or so I make my way out to the garage for:
- 4 rip dips
- 2 ring pullups or 4 ring rows
- 1 set of front/side planks

None of these sets have felt difficult which is great. Body overall feels fantastic. I'm looking forward to retesting my max reps this weekend. Likewise, also looking forward to adding some progressive overload a la weighted calisthenics once my max reps hits 12.

In any case, I'm accruing wayyyyy more volume day by day than I would by doing 10x3 in a single day. The lack of soreness and fatigue is also pretty fantastic.

Dips 10x3 = 30 weekly reps
Dips 4 reps / set x 6 sets per day x 5 days = 120 weekly reps

Exercise | 2020-26 | Drags and carries

Too tired to write. Shoot me in the face.

15min of
KB Sumo Deadlift x 10
Suitcase carry 30yards
Sled drag 30yards

KB = 62lbs
Sled = 80ish pounds?

Sand only sled is too light. May need to upgrade sled modalities in order to drag more weight.

week 1 no sugar

I decided to do a month of no sugar at the end of february. Today marks week 1 and some change. Noticable improvements:

- Better sleep. Insomnia is rare.

- Hunger is way easier to control.

- Body comp improving, but that can be an extension of hunger control.

All good things. So far, dont miss it.

exercise | 2020-25 | quick and the dead 100 reps

Man oh man did i miss this.

100 two handed swings 45lb kb

100 explosive pushups 

Done in 5 rep sets per exercise

30min total 

Ive been freaked out to do this since i tried out a 62lb kb under fatigue and fuuuucked my back up. 

Lemme tell you why i love this.

I feel younger and faster and better.

The pushups dont have a hypertrophic effect on their own, but they support strength and hypertrophy in other movements. Theyre essentially a plyometric drop every rep with a quick rebound. A mother fuckin upper body depth drop.

100 reps needs to be the standard. If im not feelin it, i have 2 other methods for moving around (see: carries and drags).

On the other end of the spectrum, I tested my max reps per grease the groove moves so ive got a baseline for the rest of the week. This was done deliberately under sone fatigue because id rather do less reps per gtg set than overestimate my work capacity.

Gtg (all on rings)

Dips: 9, gtg 4

Pullups: 4, gtg 2

Pushups: 4, gtg 2

Rows: 9, gtg 4

This means every gtg set when im taking work breaks will be;

Dips 4, pullups 2, planks 1 set all sides

Or

Puships 2, rows 4, planks 1 set all sides

exercise | 2020-24 | drags and dips

Diet

Sugar update: day5 no sugar. Still easy. Finding 20hr fasts are way fuckin easier without sugar the night before. Hunger is minor if it exists at all.

Been breaking my fast with pea protein past couple of weeks but im exchanging that for regular food. Protein powder has gotta be an emergency source of protein instead of the reg. 

Exercise

Lower back was fine until about 11min in to sled pulls. Cut the 15min timer short with no regrets.

Dragged weight

2 sandbags

20lb weight vest

100lbs kettlebells

Ring dips bw only

8 11 14 17 21 24 27 30

Great progress! Upped min 1st set reps by 3 and every rep felt incredibly stable. Not increasing weight just yet. We shall see how the next session goes.

Ring pushups extended ROM

10 3 4

Very very happy to compliment both pulling and pushing main vertical moves with horizontal assistance. Extended rom feels wonderful. Consider longer rest between sets.

Rear delt different foot positions

3 sets

Not worried about rom here. Contract rear delts as hard as possible as if we were doing db swings.

Tri ext different foot positions

3 sets

Fuckin hard

exercise | 2020-23 | sled drags and pullups

Sled drag 15min 

~ 150lbs

Only walked backwards with a focus on small steps (avoiding rowing the weight)

Ring pullups 30reps in sets below

3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 26 28 30

1min rest between sets

Assistance 3 super sets

Ring rear delt raise 10 15 18

Kelso vertical row 6 9 11

Minor assistance

Ring curls 10 13

One arm 3

grease the groove | abs | set point 1

Weird little thing happens when i discover where im weak. The anger man. It erodes in volumes.

I had a draft prepped and ready about how i was ready to reincorporate kb grease the groove sets into my work schedule. Nothing wrong with that. I want big fuck off shoulders and traps, and gtg is a great method for adding on some beeeeeeef.

Unfortunately thats not the main quest. What's the main quest ass hat?

- fix your back

- fix your knees

Right o bucko. This doesn't mean gtg is out the window. It means gtg encompasses movements for my abs and erectors. Knees are handled via 3-4x weekly sled pulls until i find a better option.

Picked up convict conditioning this sunday, and wouldnt ya know it. A couple of easy level 1 progressions for abs and back that i cant hit the level up progression for.

Gtg back and abs

Abs | level1 | knee tuck | 6 reps!!! Ahhh

Back | level1 | glute bridge | 29 reps

Gtg abs 3 reps

Gtg back 14 reps

Retest in 2 weeks

Exercise | 2020 - 22 | drags and dips

Dragging weight
Loaded up my sled as much as humanly possible (i.e. sandbags are near capacity). Great 15min workout but the rubber connector snapped near the end. No biggie.

Calisthenics 

I was showing ana ring dips and accidentally knocked out 5. Figured might as well continue to the point of adaptation (28ish reps).

Workout (all movements on rings)
- Dips: 28 reps in ~10sets
- BW tricep extensions: until i couldn't
- Rear delts: until i couldn't

Also, day 2 no sugar. Still on easy mode.

ethos | types of exercise

Summary
- Power
- Conditioning
- Grease the Groove

Primary goals: Moving well and staying in shape
Secondary goals: Strength and size

Preamble Ramble
2020 has already been decided. This January marks the first time I'm without a gym membership. It's been terrible. Just terrible. I miss getting up extra early to drive to a commercial gym filled with people who have trouble remembering that gym clothes need to be washed. I miss using equipment and movements that have been reinforcing injuries and movement patterns I have no current business doing. I miss feeling like I need to do X or Y to get stronger or bigger or faster or leaner. Terrible just terrible.

Woe is me. All I have at home now is a 8kg kettlebell, a 20kg kettlebell, a few lengths of chain, and a 20lb weight vest. All I can do is anything I can fucking imagine.

Let's break. I'm a little embarrassed about an article I wrote back in 2012. I was whining about how unequipped a hotel gym was to accommodate an accomplished lifter [sic] such as myself. What I failed to even consider is how much I could do with the equipment I had. How sad is the idea that without Xlb barbells or dumbbells I'm hamstrung. Mah stuff. I need, mah stuff. It's so easy to build something meaningful without a lot. I intend on adding more to my home gym over time - another 20kg kettlebell, heavier kettlebells (not sure where yet), high paralettes. None of this is really needed, but my toolbox expands into crazy directions with just a few more additions.

The reality check is I'm not going to pull 600 pounds. I'm not going to squat 400. I'm not going to bench 300. That's not the goal. I can't believe they ever were. Are my shoulders going to be weak or tiny when I'm able to strict press a 100lb kettlebell for reps? Is my back going to be weak after mastering weighted front lever rows? Will I be slow the more I master explosive movements like swings? The answer invariably is going to be a resounding NO.

With minimal equipment, I've kept or increased my strength and size in almost every avenue. Leaning out has become a factor from diet and training instead of just how many oly lifts I can get in. The best news here is I feel fuckin bulletproof. My neck has no looming tweaks. My herniated discs are quiet. Being able to do normal things like walk and run and fuck bring me so much joy I could burst. Good as time as any to segway into the cornerstones of the types of exercise in this program I'll post about.

Power | Feel younger and move better
One of the hardest parts about getting older is not feeling like I have a POP factor any more. Like most things with reaching older levels, you can still access perks from previous levels, but you have to work for it. Shit don't come for free any more.

Increasing power is not contingent on increasing weight. Increasing power, is not contingent on increasing weight. iNcrEAsinG PowUh iS nOt ConTiNGeNt oN iNcrEaSinG WaaaiiT. We good?

Way overly simplified
Power = Force * Velocity

Moving weight through space as fast and as hard as possible is the primary goal. Adding weight is a far far distant second driver. Before you add weight, you can:
- Add different lifting variations to the same weight
- Change the exercise so the plyometric effects are increased
- Focus on exerting more force against the same weight

Current toolbox
- Kettlebell swings: Two handed, one handed
- Explosive pushups: Palms, knuckles

Condition | Being in shape, leaning out, hypertrophy
This was hard pill for me to swallow. May 2019, my girlfriend and I went for a 2hr walk. By the time we got back to her house I was absolutely destroyed. My back ached. My knees ached. I was out of breathe. What the fuck man?

This was a moment in time when I was doing intensity techniques in the gym like rest pause, but also implementing 20 rep front squats. The latter of which I thought meant I was in shape. I just front squatted bodyweight for 20 reps. I'm in shape!!! I'm also...constantly worried my neck will get tweaked. I'm also feeling my still herniated discs just itching to numb my feet. I could do things in the gym other people weren't willing to do our couldn't do, but I couldn't go for a walk with someone I loved. Unacceptable.

Conditioning workouts are going to be a bit all over the place. The goals here stem from the acronym GPP = general physical preparedness. A certain aspect of randomness is going to be inherent here even if the toolset of movements may stay the same. Unlike increasing power, adding weight will be a huge part of keeping in shape, but like power there is not going to be a time when I'm unsure whether I can complete a rep. I'm a huge fan of conditioning tools that have a unilateral aspect. I've seen my back health increase steadily since I incorporated movements that force my abs on one side of my body to stabilize the entire unit.

Current toolbox
- Single arm carries: Suitcase, waiters, rack
- Double arm carries: Farmers
- Other kettlebell movements: Press, swings, deadlift, row, cleans

Grease the Groove | Doing a lot a little at a time
Grease the groove is a Pavel term. Essentially, you build strength by doing your volume a little at a time often instead of a lot infrequently. Your sets don't even look across the room at a party at failure, let alone flirt with it.

Greasing the groove is practice. Imagine your strength as paperclips you are dropping on your desk one by one. Individually it's not a lot. Cumulatively the effect is enormous. For me this essentially works out to some strength work and some hypertrophy work. Almost all of it is a short 2-5min break from working so I can do something else.

This is not an essentially part of Rollin with Chet. It's a useful supplement.

Current toolbox
- Kettlebell movements: Floor press, press, row
- Bodyweight movements:  Weighted pushups, bodyweight rows, front levers
- Other: Ab wheel

ethos | stress

Summary
Declutter to destress. Be surrounded by the things and people you love.

Preamble Ramble
First the necessary word vomit. Marie and I are not connected in any way shape or form. I don't get cash money from plugging her book or her method. I'm plugging her because of how she fits into the puzzle that is Rollin with Chet.

The Ramble
Marie Kondo changed my life in 2019. You know that feeling where you know your brain is on the right track to a decision but you need someone or something to give you permission to execute? That was Marie, fucking, Kondo.

I always noticed how my happiest times all had two things in common:
- I was not injured
- My house was tidy

Conversely, depression was always marked with clutter. With dishes in the sink. With collecting random crap I didn't need. I would find myself trying to find space for things that I no longer used but held a place in my heart. My super nintendo (what if someone wants to play), my VCR (isn't it cool), my various old Dragoncon costumes (my history), clothes people bought for me that I never wore (it would be rude to throw away these ugly fucking khakis I guess I'll worry about that when I die).

All of these things "had" a place in the sense that they were put away. Everything having a place meant that it was tucked away somewhere random. I had no idea where anything was, and I had no intention on using these things soon or ever. Because these things had a place, anything new added to my life had no space at all. I found my attempts to clean my house half hearted at best. Leaving me elated for 2 weeks until inevitably some small amount of clutter broke the house of cards.

The Purge
Enter Marie Kondo and her book 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.' Your experience with this book may be different, but here is what I got out of it:
- Asking each item 'do you spark joy' is a decent indicator of whether it belongs in your current life.
- Removing items that do not spark joy leave you surrounded only by things you love.
- You do not owe anyone to hold onto an item because it was a gift. Shackles are shackles.
- You can honor your history without holding onto the items that defined it.

In a single weekend I offloaded more than 70% of my belongings. 5 trips to Goodwill. And many followed after. Words cannot express the joy that followed. I found that even the things I felt a slight regret about giving away didn't actually impact my life. Yes, giving away my Batman costume and PS2 was difficult. Yes, I freaked out a bit after giving away things that had followed me from my mid 20s into my mid 30s. But giving them away didn't actually do anything. There hasn't been a time since then when I thought 'you know what, I really wish I could play Kingdom Hearts 2 right now' or 'I really wish I could dress up like Batman and scare the neighbors.' Because those things don't happen. I was terrified at the idea of losing these things that impacted my life 0% whether or not they belonged to me.

It was important to me that two things happened when giving objects away:
- I thanked them for taking me this far
- I thought about how much someone else will enjoy them in the future

It Continues
This is not a one time event. I'm always looking for more things to give away. I always ask myself whether I want to keep the things given to me or pick up something new.

Do yourself a favor:
- Get a library card
- Download libby (app)
- Listen to 'The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up'

There is so much you can do for yourself with minimal effort.

the best things (post copy from previous blog)

Last weeks workout set me back months of progress. My back feels like crap. I feel vulnerable. Ive been lying to myself on how good my knees feel. Not because they feel bad day to day, but because when i try to do anything but exist or lift they feel junky (see: lift).

Here is why this is the best thing ever.

1. Ive been ignoring my back rehab in lieu of doing suitcase carries.

And bubbee, there is nothing wrong with suitcase carries. But this is only 1/3 of the plan i started a year ago. In "the gift of injury" there is no clause that states maybe haphazardly do the big 3 for 2 months and then your back gets fixed. Thats weak af man. No, the instructions are 2x a day big 3 and multiple daily walks.

2. Light lower back volume is still lower back volume. 

When working ive been doing little sets of single leg rdls. I thought this was free volume, but my back is still in there moving and not stabilizing. 

Last saturday i woke up and jumped into swings with a kettlebell ive never used and AHH WUH HAPPENED. Bro.

There is no problem with lifting daily, but leave the lower back alone when it needs some time. I have a feeling that sled drags are gonna be great here..

exercise | 2020 - 22 | sled drags 14min

Dunno how much i talk about this but i fucking love foods, supplements, and exercises that give me immediate feedback.

Food

• Broccoli? I feel like 1000 bucks
• Arugula? Every poop is my best poop. Why do i have so much poop in me? Is that always there? Lingering. Waiting. It just needed the fiber. Or. OR. Is the arugula making the bulk? The amount of arugula I ate != the poop I had. 
• Pasta? Someone is slowly choking me out

Supplements

• Maca? Earth crushing boners and orgasms
• Literally any preworkout? Explosive diarrhea 

Exercises

• Bench press? This feels wrong but everyone says it is gold. I must be doing it wrong.
• Behind the neck push press? The gains are out of this world but my neck keeps getting hurt. Part of the process I guess.
• Chinups? My entire body transforms when I can pull multiple sets of 3 with 90lbs+BW

Two(2) things have changes in this past week - I built a weight sled and hung 2 pairs of rings in my garage. The rings are being used for pullups, dips, etc, but I really wanted them purely for hanging for time. The relief provided to my back by a mixture of Stuart McGill's Big 3 and decompression hangs is fucking amazing and felt right away.

I mentioned sleds in my last post as well, but holy fucking shit I'm in love. My knees and back feel amazing. The risk of injury is really god damn low, and I cannot wait to start loading this more (which, is going to be super easy). Instead of buying plates, I'm picking up sand and/or pea gravel at ~$5 per 50lbs. Shove that shit in gallon freezer bags, duct tape up the bags so they are hard to break, and shove the bags in a larger canvas bag. For dirt fucking cheap I've got an easily loadable sled.



Equipment used:

• 20lb weight vest
• canvas bag filled with about 30lbs of pea gravel
• 45lb kettlebell
• 60lb kettlebell

Exercise | 2020 - 21 | Home-made sled drags

Hol-ee-shiitttttttttttt

Tried out my home made weight sled and it is a fuckin dreamboat. My back feels great. My knees feel great. I got in a great conditioning workout with only about 150lbs of drag.

I can load the sled more by adding in more pea gravel to the bag I slumped on the side.

Equipment used:
- 20lb weight vest
- canvas bag filled with about 30lbs of pea gravel
- 45lb kettlebell
- 60lb kettlebell

Dragged this forwards (easy) and backwards (way harder) for about 15min. The sled getting stuck was actually a great excuse to get some rowing motions in to get it unstuck.

Exercise | 2020 - 20 | Condition x Condition

Weighted carries + press + viking push press

Next

Kb swings

I feel elated but beat. This is a good feeling brooooo.

Carry

20kg, 4 rounds as far as i could walk of

Suitcare carry 

Rack walk

Press failure-1

Viking push press failure-1

Waiter walk

Switch hands 

(Repeat other hand)

Swings

8kg kb, added orange band

5 rounds 40s on, 20s rest

Didn't make it the entire 5 rounds. This is the 'soft style' kb swings as opposed to the quick and the dead. Im focusing more on endurance than power with a lighter weight.

single kettlebell | 2020 - 14 | 20kg circuit

Kinda did a choose your own adventure here.

4 rounds, 2min rest between rounds

1 kettlebell 20kg

Each exercise is performed once per side per round (clean x5 left side, press x10 left side, cleanx5 right side, pressx10 right side)

clean x5 then press x10

Two handed swing x10

Two handed sdl x10 (next time increase reps or make one handed)

Suitcase carry x100ft

For grease the groove during the week ive moved more towards weighted pushups, kb curls, ab wheel, and kb one leg rdls. I want to stay away from taxing my lower back until actual workouts.

rollin with chet training methodology 2020

Until i get new shit. This is how we do.

Diet

During the week, fasting window 5 to 9

Weekend keep it loose

Training

Quick and the dead

Rest

Loaded carry

Rest

Repeat

Grease the groove training

On training days: presses and abs

On rest days: pulls and abs

quick and the dead | 2020 - 13 | 60 reps swings and pushups

Doing the fucking program as advertised.

- 2 to 3 times per week

- swings and pushups

- focus is on power, not weight

Today was 60 reps. Felt great. Pushups on my knuckles with a focus on leaving the ground with every rep.

Fasting until 4 to 5p (break will be with about 100g protein).

GPP | 2020 - 12 | Suitcase walk | Grease movement = KB Floor Press

Suitcase walk is still my favorite. It's a mega ab exercise, builds traps, and allows me to quickly switch hands when I'm bushed.

As for grease the groove, going to mix things up a bit. I don't mind daily pressing, but I also don't want my shoulders to get messed up movement pattern injuries. Daily pressing means daily pressing variations.

Today = KB Floor Press (one arm)
Reps
10

GPP | 2020 - 11 | 20kg mixed walk for 20min

Focus right meow is on walking speed rather than resilience. I definitely find that I have to will myself to build up more speed or else I'll end up taking a leisurely stroll.

As before, for the first 10min I switch between waiters walks and suitcase carries, then do exclusively suitcase carries on the way home (10-15min?).

GGP | 2020 - 10 | 15min rack and suitcase walk

Somewhat less glamorous way to start my morning. Part of it was shitty sleep and exhaustion. I'm really looking forward to building a DIY sled so I have another morning option.

GPP | 2020 - 9 | This is the way to start your morning | Walk 20min waiters/suitcase

Man fuck morning swings. I'll do that shit before dinner. Loaded carries outside is a great way to start the day, doesn't have a set rep scheme, and soon ill be able to do multiple options (hellllo sled).

Quick and the dead | 2020 - 8 | 60 reps one arm swings

Tried high pulls but nahhhh

Attempted using 'jumping' pushups to try and get more velocity (i.e. pushoff without a clap).

Rolling with Chet

Revisiting this thread in 6 months.

It occurs to me that someone offering self help is an asshole if they don't practice what they preach. The idea of 'rolling with chet' is ludicrous and not something I necessarily want to talk about online. The tenants fall under a few categories:
- Mind: Destress, declutter, have a goal you are working towards
- Body: Injury prevention, build power, build resistance
- Gut: Reduce sugar, intermittent fasting

GGP | 2020 - 7 | Mix walk 20min with 20kg KB

This was amazing!

By switch walk I mean I did the following:
- Start with waiter carry left arm
- Continue with suitcase carry left arm
- Switch to right arm
- Repeat

I was able to go much further before taking breaks as my grip wasn't a limiting factor. Really trying to push walking speed while doing this. I almost regret buying rings, as I feel i can do fuckin anything with this kettlebell.

Creativity through simplicity damnnit.

My legs on the other hand, are not looking so great. They feel absolutely fine, but not rock solid anymore. KB squats still feel kind of funny (b/c of tight quads, my knee actually feels fine). I'm going to stick with hamstring slides for now for grease the groove.

Quick and the dead | 2020 - 6 | 80 reps two handed swings

Session went great but kind of lost steam near the end.

Today is the day i reinvigorate all over fasting. This start eating at 12p crap is for the birds. I almost feel like the fast is a wash unless I'm doing it for longer periods.

GPP | 2020 - 5 | 20min walk with 20kg KB

I'm stressed af from the new job and oh ya THE PENDING WAR WITH IRAN but other than the world being on fire things are good.

Injuries feel fine

quick and the dead | 2020 - 4 | 100 reps two handed swings

First workout in a few days. First time doing a 100 rep workout. Easy peezy.

Confidence, sex drive, injury, all the things are great right now.

Getting used to being a different size

Ditching the gym has been pretty god damn interesting. A few things have happened:
- My injuries are all cleared up
- I'm leaning out due to daily grease the groove lifting, cardio, Q&D, and intermittent fasting

I'm not married to a routine or movements anymore. The usual struggle with 'am i doing it right' and minor tweaks doesn't exist. And I'm shrinking. Not everything is getting smaller (lookin at you shoulders, you're looking good), but for the most part I'm losing mass all around. One of my fears of ditching the gym was that my identity was rooted in being a certain size and gait.

But was that really great? Not really. I was fatter than i wanted to be. I was always hurt. And no one, copy, no one fucking cares what size I am. Especially not my girlfriend.

More to ponder on for later. Just wanted these thoughts down to look back on.

quick and the dead | 2020-3 | 40 reps | one handed swings

Didnt sleep well. Took a light day. Diet yesterday was absolute garbage. Full on fasting today to eat the difference.

GPP | 2020 - 2 | Walk 20min with a 45lb kettlebell

Suitcase carry. Heart wasn't in it today, but a lot of that could be attributed to the bubbly Ana and I drank last night.

Shoulders look and feel fucking big. Decided yesterday to start plotting grease the groove KB Presses I do throughout the day so I can track total monthly volume. Considering the reps have been steadily climbing week after week, this is gonna be prettttty pretttty cool.

I don't even know where I need to start getting a new KB weight. I'm getting so much out of 45lbs. Way more than I ever thought was possible.

Quick and the Dead | 2020-1 | One Handed Swings | 60 reps

Steady energy level: high
Speedy energy level: medium
Sex drive: too high
Confidence: high

Quick and the Dead | 2020-1 | One Handed Swings & Fist Pushups | 60 reps in 18min

I'm driving to Orlando, so any grease the groove work beyond my morning workout will just be grip work or KB presses when i get home. I'm really looking forward to buying rings for my garage in 2 weeks. Adding regular chinups/weighted chinups during my workday is going to add a lot of mass to my back and arms.

Also looking forward to seeing whether grease the groove works well with dropsets, or whether that incurs too much fatigue. The goal here would be to stop well before failure on heavier and lighter sets (as opposed to regular dropsets which are pathways to going beyond failure).

quick and the dead and gpp: final thoughts

Last post of this year. And what a god damn year.

- most sober year since 2004. This is not insignificant.

- met the woman i was meant to meet. Bought a house. Profit.

- dealt with knee and back injuries.

- recovered from knee and back injuries.

- pushed myself on a different path for training that is both sustainable and fun.

Segway. 

Im not done with squats and deadlifts and cleans and blah blah blah, but i dont need them anymore. Im coming to value aesthetics and absolute strength less than i value avoiding injury and cultivating speed. If im being honest with myself, i spent most of the last 5 years in some level of injury. The times i spent healthy were so wonderful i could scream. Likewise, the amount of time i actually spent happy with my body were minimal at best.

This is not me saying im taking it easy. It's the fuckin opposite. I want to lift every day. As i pointed out in a recent post, greasing the groove is the name of the game. Since i wrote that post, my avg reps per set are up 2-3. They are up 6-7 per set overall with just 3 weeks of practice!

Pillars for 2020:

Power training

- kettlebells, bodyweight

- quick and the dead

- simple and sinister

Grease the groove

- kettlebells, bodyweight

- oly ring work (pullups, muscle ups)

- kettlebell presses and curls

Loaded carries

- kettlebells, sleds

- suitcase carries, sled drags

There's no rubric on when to level up kettlebell weight. The absolute closest thing i have is how long it takes me to save up for one when dumping 20/week into a betterment fund. The heavier kettlebells will naturally take longer to save for.

Quick and the dead 5: 80 rep day

Felt a lot faster and more stable today. Keepin it up.

Reps per exercise: 80 (4 series)
Exercises: Two handed swing and fist pushups
Notes: Swings were fine. Pushups slowed down near the last few sets.

Greasing the Groove, not so fun discovery

This is not a pitfall, but definitely a point of interest.

My daily KB clean+press has a ton of lower back movement. Come my actual quick and the dead workout (snatches) my lower back was NOT OK with volume or power.

Clean+press is now going to be curl+press

Dark times