if the plan is working, follow the plan

Experiencing a minor setback with my right knee. For weeks it was feeling awesome. I overall felt like a fucking tank. And it was because I had a plan, and I was following the plan. But then I thought, maybe I can do better.

Bad. Idea.

What was the plan?

- easy strength, 2x5, stick with a weight and keep working on speed for a week.

- daily humane burpee.

- daily mace or kettlebell work when work time allows 

What did I add?

- armor building. First via kettlebells then via barbells 

- Cossack squats. 

- Nordic curls till death.

- increase weight when possible. Ramp up to 5/3/2 days.

The top three things above were added in the last week. The fourth I've sprinkled in. More on the fourth later.

The new additions were sudden jolts into tissue health I didn't have in ranges of motion I havent touched. Adding one of these would have been ok. Kind of. Adding 3 was stupid. The Nordic curls in particular to failure is where I started feeling numbness again. This is my fault. I am error.

The fourth item isnt 'bad.' it's one of the actual programs after all. But if I'm doing this to feel good and not necessarily focus on the weight lifted, building a set progression ain't the best idea. Dan's original comment of increase weight when too easy is a great guidelin, vague as it is.

I will get back to where I was. I have to remember that 6 weeks ago I was in worse shape than I am now. Follow the fucking plan. You can't keep busting your head against a wall.

armor building and the barbell clean

Time is funny. You do something that works, then you stop to chase the new shiny. Years and many injuries later, you come across your old love and oh ya this was always great.

The cornerstone of my old productive training was power cleans and snatch high pulls. Those 2 movements covered SO many bases it was ridiculous. My biggest sin with them was continually pushing weight, never taking time off, and never swapping for variations. The movements themselves are excellent.

Fast forward to present. I'm reading and rereading Dan John's armor building formula. Honestly I bought the book to support the guy. After all, I'm running easy strength and feeling better and stronger than I have in years with little effort other than consistency. The book is a fun read, but after dipping my toe briefly back into kettlebell training I remember I really don't enjoy that stuff (note: other than the daily humane burpee warmup, that shit is OP). For whatever reason, I found myself reading the part2 of the program which is an option for barbell armor building. The format is very similar -cleans and presses - the biggest difference being the amount of squats included. But this shit is my JAM. A set of 8 clean and press left me gasping for air. It works EVERYTHING and makes me feel like a god damn tank. 

This post is a love letter to Dan. Thank you for giving me my life back! Thank you for helping me work past injuries I wasn't sure I'd overcome. And thank you for showing me the barbell is not off limits. I swear my Instagram feed is jam fucking packed with anti barbell and pro kettlebell and odd objects. Those things are fine. And shit man I love me some sandbags. But I have permission to say this isn't for me if I genuinely have 0 love for an implement.

coding your tissue: this is what we are doing

Connective tissue joints and tendons are weird. they don't give you the same feedback of improvment like anything else you train so it's easy to think my X is fucked. It isn't going to get better.

This isn't true. It just takes 2 things:

- repeated pain free movement.

- more time than you'd think.

Every rep you perform that is pain free is money in the bank. This is why full range of motion but regressed stress (see: major band assistance) can be such a boon when it comes to building connective tissue strength. This applies regardless of whether you are recovering from an injury or trying to build a new skill that requires amazing tissue health.

As for the time aspect, I started seeing major improvements in my knees after 3 weeks of daily squats and swings. After 6 weeks, my joints are feeling great all the time. I can venture that continuing down this path will unlock more dynamic and difficult movement that would have been a pipe dream a year ago.

easy strength worked so well I stopped doing it

Adding a quote from Dan john on easy strength

When you get to a certain age, you can not keep throwing yourself into the wall.

Reigning myself back in from a bad week of training lol. I was feeling awesome and strong and stable after weeks of easy strength, so of course I try to 'improve' it. 

Here is what I did

- add a flailing 5/3/1 day. It went poorly and put my recovery in a hole for the rest of the week.

- add a deadlift only day. This actually went really well (+50lbs over easy strength base while still feeling easy) and spiraled me towards reworking my program into a one lift a day type deal 

The second option honestly wouldn't be super bad, but it flies along the same thing Dan says is a pitfall for his atheletes. I don't 'feel' this working. Or it was working so well I stopped. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

The truth is I've got diet to keep my weight down and conditioning to cover the 'everything else'. Looking good isn't a matter of finding the right training magic bullet to overcome a diet infraction.

Tldr keep doing easy strength. Slowly nudge the baseline UP.

easy strength and dealing with the 'everything else'

Mentioned this on other posts, but I don't play a sport. I don't intend on playing a sport. I'm full quadrant 3 gen pop park bench 4 life type of lifter.

Easy strength is an awesome starting point. An excellent way to START a day. My 'everything else' ends up looking like conditioning work. Keeping it real real simple here folks.

0-7 days a week  

Push

Pull 

Lower

Repeat

Reps? GTFO. Do enough to be hard but not enough to fail.

Sets? As many in 30-60min.

Variations? Be creative and try not to repeat a workout.

For me this usually looks like:

Push: Pushup variation, dip variation, KB press variation.

Pull: Mace (something), sled drag.

Lower: KB swing, KB snatch, KB dead, burpee.

knee recovery: what is working

Brain droppings on good ideas put to use. 

Warming up, sometimes with bfr bands

Spanish squats for high reps

Kettlebell swings for medium high reps

Goblet squats for low reps

Form

All squats start and end with a glute contraction.

All squats use a pause at the bottom and top of reps.

Feedback

When anything feels tight, STOP. My knees will feel tight a few minutes before they feel pain. Tightness is gone the next day. Pain is not.

The goal is to slowly increase the amount of time and reps before tightness occurs. String good days together edges towards recovery.

This is super important and I MISSED it. I lamented the idea that sled pulls weren't working for me. this isn't true. Sled pulls work great, but I kept pulling through tightness and was upset how quickly tightness occurred.

It's ok to be a pud. This is really tough and I've failed this test a ton. The contention is that you need to work with regressed movements and weight until you can turn up the heat. Rushing the process means backsliding. A great example would be loaded carries. They flat out hurt or cause tightness and pain for days. You know what doesn't? Marching in place with weight. Almost the same stimulus without the baggage.

more easy strength musings

Easy strength

Focus on barbell strength and absolute load

Stay with light weights longer (1-2 weeks)

Move light weights FASTER

Upper body calisthenics pulls can be weighted to work towards more complex skills in the same movement pattern (ex: bw row, add weight to row, tuck lever row, and so on)

The goal is raising the floor of what is piss ass easy. 

Do not skip warmups (humane burpee) and cool downs (basic mobility)

At no point should the weights feel heavy

Everything else. I e. I ain't got no sport lt Dan.

Focus on non barbell strength. Kett bells, sandbags, clubs, bodyweight. These implements aren't magic, they're just easier to transport into a sunny area.

Easy strength is the warmup. 

Stop when things get tight. You are coming back tomorrow.

Think less in terms of programs and splits and more in the case of practicing key full body movements.

Final

This is not a route to hypertrophy, but hypertrophy and fat loss will happen.

The biggest nag I feel is that bodyweight circuits make me FEEL better. More blood flow. This sounds more like an afternoon lifting problem than an easy strength problem.

Lady gains: Fast until lifting has happened. If possible fast until dinner. 

when to stop

With recovering body parts, I've noticed that the poison is volume. Too often over the past few years I've be feeling good going into a set only to suddenly feel tight then trigger a pain response. The solution was right in front of me for the longest time, but I've only recently put it into practice.

When the tightness comes, you're done. Stop. Cease.

This can be on the first set of the 10th. The deal is in order to keep coming back and push the threshold of where danger exists. you can't do that if you have pushed into pain. We want to program in the response that what we are doing is ok. And can be resisted 

easy strength: 5 days means 5 days

The last time I tried easy strength, I was confused why my progress stalled despite all attempts remaining easy. With this latest iteration, I have some thoughts.

1. Do the warmup dummy

Dan talks at length about using the humane burpee to warm up. It takes 5min or less, and takes care of squat movements, swings, and level changes. Low impact, endlessly repeatable.

Humane burpee

15 swings

5 goblet squats

5 pushups

15 swings

4 goblet squats 

4 pushups

Etc

2. 5 days a week means 5 days a week

My last iteration became daily easy strength. While the actual work is low intensity effort, each day adds on the previous. With no off days, it becomes harder to move the easy floor up.

Off doesn't mean do nothing. Off still means a humane burpee followed by small body parts bodybuilding (calves, tibs, etc).

3. Wave loading > straight 3x3

This is where Dan and I disagree a bit. He says that if he could do it all over again he would stick to 3x3. Maybe I'll take this advice in my own future run, but his even easier strength template wave loads weights on a way that makes sense.

Example in a 2 week cycle

2x5

2x5

5-3-2 (heavier day)

Off

2x5

2x5

Off

4. Everything else can really mean everything else

Dan made this program for athletes. Meaning he expects you to do easy strength for 15min, then play your sport for hours every day. If your sport is 'i like lifting weights' then you have a pretty wide net of what that could mean!

Right meow I want me sport to be loaded carries and mace work. But it could also be bodybuilding. Ya get me?

Easy strength is the base. The minimum. It works but it was never meant to me done on isolation.

building architecture. injury feedback

Strength training can be summarized in a single sentence: go build shit here.

Shit can be a lot of things. Connective tissue, muscle, blood flow, satellite cells. If you are not training a body part or a range of motion, you are also sending a signal: I don't need shit here. Simple, and frustrating. 

When injury occurs,.your body gives all the incentives to prevent you from saying build shit here. Mainly, pain and tightness. Both prevent movement, but one is a red flag and the other a yellow flag. When recovering from injury, the best thing you can do is get pain free movement in an impacted area as soon as possible and as often as possible. Signaling I still need this! I've lost years signalling the opposite then wondering why my shit hurts for so long. Why herniated discs and knee tweak recovery is measured in years instead of weeks or months.

When training an injured body part, I've found the following to be helpful:

- start with walking. Always walking. Emphasize motion in the injured body part in pain free ranges of motion.

- when retraining the body part, start with regressed variations. No floor is too low. Your ego needs to take this short term.

- low reps, far far far far from failure. The goal is blood flow and recovery, not growth.

- higher sets and frequency is better than higher intensity and low sets/frequency.

- if you feel tightness (yellow flag), STOP! it will fade quickly and you can likely restart tomorrow. The goal is to stack as many good days together as possible until you only have good days.

high frequency: managing fatigue

Not an expert, just putting down on paper what is working for me. Inspired by Jim wendlers weight vest and chad Waterbury high frequency training. Embarked on because my right side seized up mid sandbag clean a few weeks ago. Vertical type movements are the only thing that feels extremely safe 

How we do:

1-2x daily

1st session: ring pullups, ring dips, legs.

2nd session: repeat, or ring rack pullups and dips.

Legs use a grab bag of goblet squats, banded reverse lunges, or bodyweight squats 

After stuff

Nuances:

All reps are done PAUSED. We are not thoughtlessly banging out reps. We are building connective tissue and work capacity that LASTS. 

No sets are done to failure. High frequency only works if you can recover day over day. 

Progression (upper):

Start with 5x3 per movement.

Every week, add a round (6x3, 7x3, etc) until completion in under 30min isn't possible.

Reset to 5x4 and repeat.

When the marriage of reps and sets is no longer feasible, rest to 5x3 and add weight or use a more difficult progression.

Progression (lower):

This is VERY specific to me. My legs are incredibly detrained. Anything I try to do that is 'theraputic' like sled drags just HURTS. I've found that pain enters the chat with medium volume regardless of weight. The reps, progressions, and weight is VERY low on purpose because I am working on rebuilding connections to my body as opposed to building size and strength.

The long term plan is to either continue using light weights/progressions indefinitely in the morning (with heavier kettlebell work in the afternoon) as a warmup to live the joints, OR progress to more extreme ranges of motion. Examples being sissy squats, atg split squats, wide stance lunges, etc. Lots to work on that has a benefit!

After stuff:

1. Recovery

Band pushdowns, curls, rows, etc. many different grips for extremely high reps (30-50). The goal is to push blood in the area without accumulating additional fatigue.

2. Minor body part for high reps.

Calves, tibs, neck work really well here. Use a rep goal with high reps (ex: 3x50 to increase weight) while avoiding failure. Choose one movement per day and go to town. Like the main work, feeling the muscle through large range of motion is more important than increase weight and banging out reps.

What works really well is to use one of these movements are a rest period between rounds of mains.

Example:

3 ring pullups

3 ring dips

3 goblet squats 

35 seated calf raises

Shit hurts, what do now:

Couple of options...

- Switch movements temporarily or permanently. 

- Reduce volume. As long as it takes.

- Rest. 

In a more isolated sense, if your joints hurt focus more on post workout band exercises to force blood into your joints. I've def seen a difference with and without this method.

Never under any circumstance lift through a painful range of motion. We want buttery joints.

Benefits?

I'm still very new to the party. This early on, I can tell ya my day to day energy is amazing. That alone is worth the price of admission. Body composition is slightly improved but nothing to write home about. I won't really be able to evaluate how much or little this does for aesthetics for a few months. 

Overall, a+ experience. I'm more into feeling good than looking good. And this makes me feel very very good.

building tolerance

Little, but often.

Reread an insta post about recovering from injury. One of the steps highlighted low volume and high frequency. This really really spoke to me. I've been able to dip my toe back into leg exercises, but after a few reps shit starts to get tight and hurt again. Maybe, just maybe, it's because the tissues involved have 0 tolerance for load or volume. They haven't gotten any blood in...years! I've been moving back towards daily training for my upper body, but failed to realize that injury recovery with the lower can use the same rubric. 

Little bit often. 

I'm not training through pain or discomfort. The goal is to flush blood in areas that I can't FEEL right now. 

yur a beginner harry

This one hurts to write. I picked up momentum in the past couple of weeks combining sandbags and calisthenics. I was feeling STRONG. And in the middle of a set where I felt amazing, the right side of my body seized up so hard I blacked out. For days I was unable to walk. Today being the first day in 2 weeks where I'm not in pain. Dips and chinups are already back on the menu, but I've made some observations as I've slowly become human again.

1. My lower body is at a beginner level again due to disuse.

Combine this fact with just not being 20 anymore, it's time to (sucks through teeth) restart at a beginner level. This means squatting, deadlifting and so on at a ridiculously low level. The strength is still there, always is, but the supporting joints and tissues have regressed to the point before I started lifting in my early 20s. 

2. Dynamic effort isn't for me right now.

Gotta crawl before you can walk. This ain't a bad thing.

So here's why this is a great thing. Beginners make progress fast AF. In a couple of months I can either be where I want to be, or on my way there. The catch is I've got to be a piece of shit now so I can fly later. And coming off of 15yrs training history that is a very hard pill to swallow. I'm talking about starting a beginners kettlebell program with a 12kg weight. Ridiculously easy. Embarrassingly easy. And that's ok.

Upper body is a different story. While not even close to my peak, upper body is in great shape structurally. I'm gonna milk that shit for all its worth.

rebuilding my gym

I love this type of thought process. I avoided getting a home gym for YEARS because I thought the investment too large and my space too small. In retrospect, I could have saved thousands on gym fees, prevented all of my worst injuries, and had 24/7 access to equipment. 

The tldr is that the barbell and hundreds of pounds of weight + a power rack is not a prerequisite for working hard or making progress. These tools make progress easier, but if I had to rebuild from scratch it's not what I would buy.

Minimal gym purchases

Sandbags - 50-150 in 25lb increments.

Olympic rings - pullups, dips, and rows length.

Dip bars.

Light and medium bands. 

Loadable dumbbell.

Loable mace.

Paltry amount of weights (50lbs in 2.5, 5, 10).

sandbag bodybuilding - Nov 2024

ADHD is strong this year. Training to failure works for muscle growth, it really really does. The downside is more tied to general fatigue during the week. I've seen a pattern in my posts since August. Whenever I introduce big compounds to failure (notably exempt are isolation and calisthenics, more on that later) I need more coffee to function and just are generally more irritable. I'd rather feel powerful and good than be bigger and feel tired. And nothing makes me feel as good as sandbag training. 

Sandbag training 

It's the epitome of get more out of less weight. If you barbell deadlift 2x bodyweight, congrats you are no longer a beginner. If you can shoulder a sandbag that's 2x bodyweight, you are world class. The YouTube channel 'the stone circle' has spoken often in this next topic, but I agree heavily - lifting sandbags makes my back feel 'solid' in a way that classic training does not. As someone who has experienced multiple herniations then nagging pains from doing normal human things, feeling like you are unbreakable is a premium worth it's weight in gold. It's safe to drop the weight for your floors and your feet. And finally, if you enjoy Olympic weightlifting there are a ton of parallels. I feel that a sandbag to shoulder shares a lot more in common with a power clean than I ever did with kettlebell cleans and snatches. 

The program

- 4 days required.

- 2 isolation days optional.

Sandbag Day 1

Shoulder 5-15x1

High pull 5-10x3

Row x3

Lap (low pull) x1

Back extension x1

Pullover x1

Mace x1

Calisthenics Circuits Day 1

(10 down, 5-3-2, Juarez, etc)

Pull

Press

Ab wheel 

Pull

Press

(10min optional Isolation)

Optional Isolation Day 1

Pick a movement. 

Perform 3 reverse pyramid sets to failure.

Long rest between sets.

Rotate movements when progress halts 

Sandbag Day 2

Push press 5-15x1

Shoulder 5-10x1

Squat x3

Lap (low pull) x1

Back extension x1

Pullover x1

Mace x1

Calisthenics Circuits Day 2

same as day 1. Different movement set 

Optional Isolation Day 2

Same as day 1.

return to sword and shield

Still trying to find a balance with training my lower and upper body given my lower body isn't conditioned to hard training yet. Any set taken close to failure HURTS for days. Like I said with my last post, I'm training my upper body while fixing my lower. This doesn't mean the lower body is ignored entirely. Oh no no, we have learned from that mistake. Unless I'm feeling pain or symptoms get worse, movement is medicine. In the interim, I'm adding more and more movement where I can.

Sword and shield is not my program idea (credit bells and bodybuilding). This version is closest to V2 of his insta page. 

AM

Warmup: rope flow, jump rope

Lift: 

- bodybuild (2x week) upper.

- lower singles (2-3x week).

- rest or calf days as needed.

Cool down:

Stretch adductors, hips

PM

Mace endurance

Easy Carries

Bodybuild

2-3 different variations. Cycle movements as needed.

Upper Press 50 in 5 ss Upper Pull 50 in 5

Bi, tri, shoulders 60 in 4

Lower singles

Hinge or squat. Goal is power not weight. We are trying to rebuild not get bigger. Stop when any yellow or red flag (tingle, tightness, pain) rears it's head. In terms of how many singles, set a timer and go to town (as many in 20-25min).

Mace

Change variation and weight daily 

Carries typically suitcase carry marches. Focus on ab contraction.

Examples:

- two handed swings for time.

- one handed swings for time.

- swings for strength. Pyramid up sets of 10-20. Back off sets.

- mace flow.

In the 'for time' swings, progress is measured by increasing rounds, decreasing rest, then increasing weight.

train it or fix it

I'm a big fan of decision trees applied to training. As with most blog posts, this is a lesson I have to learn over and over and over. But the premise is simple: train it or fix it.

Train it

Can you push sets hard without aggravating an existing injury? Do it.

Fix it

Does training a movement make all metrics worse? I.e. sciatica flares up, your knees feel like someone hit them with a bat? Are you not able to train with any intensity other than baby light? Fix it.

It's not worth trying to make progress with a movement or body part that you cant push close to failure without serious ramifications. This doesn't mean you leave this movement or limb to rot. It means you are LUCKY. You get to put all your training capital into things that are working NOW. Fixing things can be done every day, but the goal isn't the same as actual training. The goal is to restore and not physical transformation.

Food for thought.

daily conditioning + dessert only

Let's. Fucking. Go.

Let's assume you read the last post and said nah chat. I don't give a shit about bus bench workouts. I just want to build work capacity, feel great, and look good doing it. Bro I've got you. 

Remove the actual 'training' blocked workouts and replace with conditioning + dessert only. Increase weight or reps when it's disgustingly easy, or mid workout. Whatever. Have fun. Membuh fun? I membuh.

Conditioning - 30min circuits

Press + mace/club + quads

Pull + ab wheel + hams

Fill in whatever exercises you want. Don't repeat workouts often. Regress movements as needed. Strength isn't the goal but you will build strength. Size isn't the goal hit you will get bigger. No sets are taken to failure.

Dessert - 1 move/day to failure

Same deal as before. You can do this sick dying or dead. Don't repeat movements often, and work whatever has the most horsepower at the moment.

Examples

Tri pushdowns, tri extensions

Pelican curl, ring curl, hammer curl 

Leg curl, hip flexors, calves

Rear delt raise, front plate raise 

more on daily conditioning + actual training

To be clear I'm gonna use Dan John terms.

Park bench: no expectation on going anywhere.

Bus bench: I'm expecting to go somewhere.

Programming usually falls in one bucket or the other. If you're a generalist like me, why not zoidberg (see: both)? Personally I'm more in the park bench court nowadays. I have seen amazing dividends from daily conditioning, and I'm gifted small amounts of size and strength as a bonus. Actual bus bench training doesn't have to be anything more than increased effort over time. If you're spending your entire week building work capacity, really how hard are 4 difficult sets to failure a week? 

The setup - morning 

Mon-fri: alternate

- push + mace/club circuits. 1 set of dessert. 

- pull + mace/club circuits. 1 set of dessert.

Sat

Deadlift variation - top set and back off set.

1 set of pulldown dessert.

Increase weight every week. Drop weight after 4-6 weeks or rotate movement pattern.

Sun

Bench variation - top set and back off set.

1 set of tricep dessert.

Increase weight every week. Drop weight after 4-6 weeks or rotate movement pattern.

The setup - afternoon

Mobility and yoga.

I'm surprised too. But I suck at it and I'd like not to.

Conditioning 

Press: pushups, explosive pushups, dips, ring dips.

Pull: swing, sand row, gorilla row, snatch.

Dessert 

One all out dropset of a movement you can do sick dying or dead. The goal is not to count reps, just do work and get a sick pump. Add regressions where possible (ex: add bands to pullups).

Good dessert options

Pullups, chinups, pulldowns, pelican curl, ring curl, hammer curl, band curls, band rows.

Seated calf raises.

Tricep extensions, tricep pushdown, tricep overhead.

Rear delt raise, plate.raise.

daily lifting - balancing conditioning with linear periodization

I said recently that I was goaded for years into thinking lifting more often was better. I proceeded to lift 4-7x a week for damn near a decade before overuse injuries overcame me. During that decade, I also regularly felt sad, tired, and stressed. As I healed, I found I was getting bigger and stronger while lifting heavy 2x a week. As of late, I've said that daily conditioning has made me better than I have in a long time. Both of these things are still true and can coexist.

Lifting heavy 2x a week doesn't have to mean a drawn out session. It can mean two balls out sets (1 heavy, 1 light + rest pause) to failure. All in all this takes maybe 15-30min a week to do, and can still drive linear progress week to week. Surely, you have 4 hard sets a week in you, right?

Every other day? Conditioning. Possibly multiple times a day if energy and time allows. The body has enough parts to where you shouldn't ever have to reuse the same worked section 2 days in a row. 

Example

1)Heavy press: floor press

2)conditioning: pull, swing, calves, tibs, lunges, squats, single leg rdl

3)conditioning: press, (ditto)

4)Heavy pull: power clean

5)conditioning: press, (ditto)

6)conditioning: pull, (ditto)

Rest or repeat

Press = calisthenics presses. Use down, Juarez, straight sets, emoms

Pull = sandbag row. Normally this is a good place for calisthenics pulls as well, but that shit aint serving me at the moment.same type of rep models.

I list a ton of movement patterns after press/pull as a potential grab bag. Use whatever isn't tired. If you are going back and forth with dip Juarez valley and seated calf raises, guess what. The calf raises are your rest periods. They're filler episodes.

are you actually hungry?

I found a really easy method for discerning between actual hunger and the general desire to consume/craving.

If your body screams FOOD NOW, ask back - can you eat 6 eggs? If the feeling or response back is fuck no. It's a craving. Ignore. If the answer is yes, eat the eggs.

I'll take my money now.

conditioning is the assistance

Main work is easy to program. Work up to a top set. Do some backoff sets or a backoff set.

Assistance is a minefield of endless decisions with regards to movement choice, volume, and intensity. 

Conditioning saves a fuckton of time and energy. Assistance is dead. Conditioning is now also your assistance. Long live the new hotness.

look good versus feel good

I have to remind myself  of this fact daily: I feel amazing right now, but I also look objectively worse than 12 weeks ago. 

What changed?

12 weeks ago

- tired as fuck without copious caffeine.

- I trained full body 2 days a week. Everything to failure and beyond.

- goal was strength and size.

- off days were mace and stretch days. 

- Get some sun daily 

- I was damn near useless the day after lifting but soreness otherwise wasn't a thing.

- sex drive = not great

Today

- energy levels are amazing. Drinking less caffeine then I have in years.

- I train daily. With few exceptions (see: the occasional set of arms) nothing is to failure 

- goal is endurance.

- there are no off days.

- get some sun daily.

- low grade soreness every day, but it doesn't actually do anything.

- sex drive = constant. Not 20s levels but it exists

I gotta tell ya, my brain keeps trying to edge me back into looks good territory but in fighting it hard. I love the way I feel right now, and I'm just a few weeks in to this style of training. More to come in the future, but I need a reminder in print for the next 30min when I wonder if a 5/3/1 bench has a place in my life (narrator: it doesn't).

the things you do yourself

One of my favorite Dan John tidbits is 'the things you do to yourself are more effective than the things done to you for recovery.' For the life of me, I can't find where he made thos quote, so im going to accept the possibility of being dead wring and give him credit for the impotis for this post.

The tldr is massages are great. Acupuncture is great. Cupping is great. These are great for symptom relief but they are not going to be q long term preventive strategy. Addressing mobility takes care of a lot of the symptoms things like massage address. What you do yourself out weights what is done to you.

more musings on calisthenics circuits

30min daily calisthenics circuits are the tits.

Benefits:

- build basic calisthenics strength.

- build endurance.

- wakes you the fuck up in the morning.

- EASY to recover from.

That last one really surprised me as I've done daily calisthenics before. The big difference is 40min of only chinups versus 30min of chinups, dips, etc etc. Even if the volume is comparable, fatigue is managed in a way that doesn't bury you in a hole (I.e. you ain't hitting failure every set). Further, varying movements daily doesn't activate achy joints.

when it's cardio

As a newbie to calisthenics circuits, I find myself trying to figure out when to increase reps, change leverages, or otherwise introduce progressive overload.

The answer came this morning: when it's cardio.

It should have been obvious, but looking at the goal (endurance, hypertrophy) compared to my PM sandbag/mace lifting (strength) it makes sense. If you are taking rest periods because of a need for muscular recovery then your cardio is no longer the limiting factor. Conversely if I can burn through a 10down 5 movement circuit where my cardio is the only limiting factor, then it makes sense to do one of two things:

- increase reps. Even a new top set on downs rachets up volume (10 to 11 down represents a 20% increase in reps).

- change movement pattern/s. Calisthenics is uniquely suited for this via manipulating leverages. 

Leverage examples

A dip can become an l sit sit, a lean forward dip, an offset dip.

A Pullup can become a commando Pullup, a sternum Pullup, an l sit Pullup, an offset Pullup, an archer Pullup ect.

Which variation used doesn't really matter in the context of calisthenics circuits. We aren't trying to build specific strength or skills even if we get some as a side hustle. 

endurance: how I learned to toss the barbell

Starting out strong, there is nothing wrong with barbells. I've gotten a metric fuckton out of them for years and this is not goodbye.

Barbells, however, are not the ideal tool for the goal I set at the beginning of this year then proceeded to totally ignore. My goal were to get lean and build stupid endurance in the process. This is also related to the thought experiment I go through one a day - if I had to rebuild myself from the ground up how would I do it - if I had to be quiet while working out how would I do it - etc etc. also relevant is my nerves have been FRIED lifting to failure a few times a week. I am absolutely making steady progress week over week and physically I'm up for it, but I'd rather just feel good than look good. Weird that.

This has bubbled up into an approach to pilot. 

Tldr

AM - calisthenics circuits

Skill press, skill pull, spine/abs, press, pull, legs

Juarez valley, straight sets, downs, clusters 

Put 30min on the clock and get as many clean circuits as possible

Start with 5s, add a rep a week. Decrease regressions after 5 weeks and rebuild.

PM - sandbags, maces, clubs, and kettlebells 

Light day: maces/clubs/stretching

Heavy day:

- explosive 

- lower 

- upper

- mace/club

Put 30min on the clock and GO.

Deload happen when they happen.

Fasting used as a tool.

You should not reach failure during any set! That's not the point.

AM work is for building an engine.

PM work is to build brute strength.

'skill' versions of calisthenics work means unstable variations (rings) or power variations (plyo, muscle up). 

Regular calisthenics work means stable. Stable can use more complex variations (ex: pseudo planche pushup, l sit dip) as well.

calisthenics for loop

For loop used to progress calisthenics variations.

Increase range of motion until not possible

Decrease regression

(Repeat)

Increase skill

5/3/1 sandbags: another stab

Taking another crack at sandbag 5/3/1. I'm all IN baby. 

Schedule 

6 week cycles 

2 week mini cycles 

2-3/day a week lift 

2 week mini cycle

Floor press 5/3/1 ss Cali pull x 2

Sand high pull + squat ss Cali press x 2

Kb press ss kb chest support row x 2

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Reverse oh press 5/3/1 ss Cali pull x 2

Sand shoulders + squat ss Cali press x 2

Kb z press ss kb pullover x 2

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Reverse grip floor press 5/3/1 ss Cali pull x 2

Sand high pull + squat ss Cali press x 2

Kb press ss kb chest support row x 2

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Reverse wide oh press 5/3/1 ss Cali pull x 2

Sand shoulders + squat ss Cali press x 2

Kb z press ss kb pullover x 2

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Bi/tri/legs x 1

Daily

Mace swings outdoors

implement affinity

I don't like kettlebells. I've got plenty of posts talking about kettlebells,.getting excited about kettlebells,.and using kettlebells. I follow a ton of people that illustrate amazing ways kettlebells can be used and how they worked for them. I genuinely think that bodies built by kettlebells look amazing. Built like tanks but not huge. Entire bodies that clearly are not a collection of parts. 

All of this, and I'm just not into them. It's not their fault. And maybe it's just not their time, but my affinity towards kettlebells isn't great and that's ok.

Conversely, barbells, maces, and sandbags? Fuck ya brother. I feel great when using them. Get excited about using them. And I like how I look when I use them.

The point? If a tool isn't serving you, you are under no obligation to use it. Being bad at something isn't the same as not serving you. Everyone is bad at something when they first try. I'm talking about passion and interest not performance. Much like reading 150pages into a book you can just put it down. There are other books in the world.

mobility quality over quantity

Quality over quantity can be a blanket statement for most strength training, but it is especially important where mobility is concerned.

# reps per side and speed of movement is incredibly unimportant! The entire goal of mobility is to build strength in expanding ranges of motion.

Apply it!

- slow but smooth movement through ranges of motion

- fight for more range every rep

- do not fight through ranges of pain

more thoughts on a 5/3/1 2 day variation

2 days/lifting

Goal is building strength in key lifts

Weights use periodization 

Push the volume on assistance to build size

2-3 days/conditioning 

Goal is building work capacity and mobility

Weight is not important 

Multiple implements (mace, kb, mobility) is better than a single option

2-3 days/mobility and small body parts

Mobility ideally mixed in with conditioning

Small body parts (neck, calves, forearms) can go HARD in the paint. These are all slow twitch and recover quickly 

weight is not the most important means of progressing

Lot of thoughts recently about this. At the end of the day, increasing the weight of whatever you are using as a means of progression absolutely matters. The callback is that increasing weight should not be your primary metric for progress unless your sport depends on it. Do you really think that an all out set of 20 of (fucking whatever) will not illicit a growth response or a strength response? You bet your ass it will and does. 

It is easier to build strength in higher rep ranges, so why not start there and slowly taper the weight up until you can't. And when you can't, either back off and ramp up or choose a similar movement to work on.

Your 5/3/1 top set with a goal of 3 ended up being a set of 12? GREAT! Don't change a thing. Try to get 12 again on the next cycle with a heavier weight. If you get 13, even better. If you get 10, also good.

is it science or marketing?

Beware the ads that use the word science or athelete to justify their existence.

'all natural athelete'

Athelete of what exactly?

'science breakthroughs discovered that'

How many studies are being conducted on getting jacked? Who are the subjects? What is the quality of this research?

Take it from someone who has spent untold thousands on supplements. They are overrated. Do not fall prey to marketing that is mascarading as science.

mace swings and mobility: match made in heaven

One of the hardest things to manage is sets of mace swings. I'm sure there's a way to program them, but it isn't something I've gotten ahold of yet. In general, higher rep sets feel better. I actually feel my lats and shoulders loosening up on longer sets. My grip and abs likewise get the biggest boost if im fighting longer time under tension.

The problem is usually rest between sets. How do you ensure each set is high effort without doing lower intensity sets as 'feeders' or taking long breaks with your dick in your hands?

Answer: super set hip and knee mobility with sets of mace swings. Also on the menu is small body parts bodybuilding (calves, neck) but choose your journey. Instead of a rest period or a sub par future set, you get in some productive work you were going to try and skip anyways. 

Example

Set a timer for 30min

Mace swings: goal 100 reps

Hip mobility / isometrics (both sides)

Mace swings: goal 100 reps

Neck curls front/back

Mace swings: goal 100 reps

Hip mobility / isometrics 

Mace swings: goal 100 reps

Neck curls sides

If time remaining, repeat

Isometrics and mobility prioritize quality over rep count

Small body parts done to failure

piecing together a 2x/weekly 5/3/1 program

This a very upper body heavy program out of necessity. Typically the 'row' item below would be a squat, but that's not the times we live in. Choose your journey accordingly.

Build Your Deck

Hinge: pick 1

Row: pick 1

Press: pick 2 

Calisthenics press: pick 2 

Calisthenics pull: pick 2 

Biceps accessory: pick 2  

Triceps accessory: pick 2  

Shoulders accessory: pick 2 

Choose movements you can push relatively hard. If you are at constant risk of injury with even light poundage, you are better off choosing a movement (or range of motion) where this is not the case. Simultaneously work on fixing your shit via mobility so you are not land locked into your choice forever.

Stick with movements as long as possible. Start cycles lighter than you need to.

Program

2x/week full body. You will cycle through all movements and rep ranges over a 2 week period.

   5/3/1 6 week cycle. Does not include a deload when cycles are completed due to low frequency.

   + means 50 rep goal in 4 sets.

   ++ means 1 all out set. Use rest pause, drop sets, whatever. Weight does not increase for 6 week cycles.

2-3x/week conditioning. 

For me, this involves swinging maces (again, all upper body). For you, this could mean kettlebells, bodyweight movement, long walks, whatever. The goal is to move well and get in shape.

2-3x/week mobility.

Mobility <> stretching. Think of this as expressing strength in increasing ranges of motion. There are a ton of tracks to choose here (even yoga is a good option) but don't get paralyzed by options. Choose something and do it often.

Think about kids - 20 somethings. They aren't worried about mobility. Why not? Because they're always fuckin moving in different ranges of motion. Ever look at someone with their knees on the ground and think dag yo that would be nice? Ya, mobility. 

Example program - 2 week cycle: This is literally what I'm doing.

Week1

Sumo Deadlift 5/3/1 super set Archer Pushup+

Reverse Grip Floor Press+ super set chinup+

Giant set++

- Cossack squat

- pelican curl

- tricep extension

- rear delt raise

Floor Press 5/3/1 super set Ring Pullup+

Sandbag high pull + super set Pseudo Planche Pushup+

Giant set++

- landmine hack squat

- one arm ring curl

- kettlebell pjr pullover

- plate raise 

Week2

Reverse Grip Floor Press 5/3/1 super set Bodyweight Row+

Sumo Deadlift+ super set Archer Pushup+

Giant set: asst 

TBar Row 5/3/1 super set Pseudo Planche Pushup+

Floor Press+ super set Ring Pullup+

Giant set: asst

5/3/1 Explanation

Week 1-2: 65%x5, 75%x5, 85%xas many as possible

Week 3-4: 70%x3, 80%x3, 90%xas many as possible

Week 5-6: 75%x5, 85%x3, 95%xas many as possible

If you've got the energy/powuh for it, follow the top set by a backup set of 'as many as possible' using the lightest weight for that day.

After each 6 week period increase the max working weight:

- Upper: 5lbs.

- Lower: 10lbs.

5/3/1 sandbags

Been having a gas with a 5/3/1 variation. Jim Wendler's fingerprints are here but he didn't write the actual program. The roots of this method are in 5/3/1 forever - 2 day a week training + first set last.

Two week cycles

Six week program

+ 50 rep goal in 4 sets

++ 60 rep goal in 4 sets

Week 1

Sandbag squat 5/3/1 ss calisthenics press+

Reverse grip floor press+ ss calisthenics pull+

Biceps, lats, hams, triceps, shoulders++

Floor press 5/3/1 ss calisthenics pull+

Sandbag deadlift x 4 ss calisthenics press+

Biceps, lats, hams, triceps, shoulders++

Week 2

Reverse grip floor press 5/3/1 ss calisthenics pull+

Sandbag squat x 4 ss calisthenics press+

Biceps, lats, hams, triceps, shoulders++

Sandbag deadlift 5/3/1 ss calisthenics press+

Floor press+ ss calisthenics pull+

Biceps, lats, hams, triceps, shoulders++

Sandbag movements progress range of motion then weight.

- 6 weeks: two block

- 6 weeks: one block

- 6 weeks: floor

- 6 weeks: two blocks new weight

5/3/1 sandbags days have two carries until failure:

- top set

- last set

+ Sandbag days use one carry until failure on the last set.

Off days:

- mace, club

- mobility 

ROM, weight, and volume: what is actually important?

After my neck injury in 2021, I found myself completely unable to pull with my left arm. Given I was never able to do a 1 arm Pullup, my pulling power slowly degraded to the point where I had less strength than before I started training. Brutal.

The years passed and the nerve damage slowly unraveled (note: it's still there yo, just muted most days) I found myself able to do a ring Pullup again. Ring. As in singular. My internal monologue soared! LOOKS LIKE LATS ARE BACK ON THE MENU BOYS. Except they weren't. Training ring pullups didn't seem to make anything grow because I couldn't put in the volume and intensity needed to force any meaningful adaptation. 

What I could do were ring rack chinups for comparitively higher reps. I saw these as a stepping stone to doing the actual important work (actual ring pullups + weight) and completely missed the lesson I inadvertently learned.

"Working movements in a range of motion and weight that allows gains in intensity and volume is more important than full range of motion + more weight if the latter two cannot be expressed with intensity or volume".

I.e.

Your sets of 1-3 basic bitch moves aren't helping as much as you think they are if you lack the foundationation strength. 

Again, I accidentally learned this years ago while running the hepburn method. What was comfortable to me were multiple sets of 2-3. The afterthought were the back off sets of 6-8. But that's where the magic happens! I was never at risk of failing a set of 2-3. Sets of 6-8 were fucking scary with big movements and pushed my body to places I hadn't seen before. 

There's nothing wrong with my original desire to get back to full range of motion ring pullups. BUT, there is an infinite amount of steps I can take in between now and then and STILL make excellent progress with strength and physique.

the generalist and systems, not goals

I'm not training for a specific goal. I have no much lose X pounds or lift Y weight, but I still want to improve my healthy size and strength. The most specific I will ever get is: I should be above average at most things I never train for. Meaning my body will never be the limitation on what I try. My skills on the other hand? You can exhibit athletic qualities without being an athlete. 

Without a specific goal in mind, training and diet work better within the realm of a system of approach. Said system differs from a program as there is no intended results or outputs - very similar to Dan Johns park bench versus bus bench type of programs (note: this being a firm park bench). Your system will look different than mine. 

System params

Lift

- 1x every 3 days.

- linear progression. Swap movements when progress stalls.

- multiple small meals.

Non lifting

- one meal a day.

- highlight odd objects - sandbags, kettlebell, maces, etc.

There are no parameters tied to specific reps, weight, movements, or sets. Effort and consistency trumps a plan. I will never win a competition with this system, nor do I intend to or care. I will on the other hand, make progress on all metrics I give a crap about without needing to get specific. That's good enough. And good enough is pretty good.

prehab and rehab per fuckup

Prerequisite I'm not a doctor. This is not advice. Everything in this post has worked for me when I've been hurt or trying to prevent being hurt for different body parts. Take as you will.

Lower back

Injury history

- 2011: L5/S1 herniation. Could barely move.

- 2018: L5/S1 and other (forget which) herniation. Way fuckin worse than 2011.

Healing tactics - Charlie what do now

- daily walks. Frequency is way more important than length (3x 10min > 1x 30min).

- abdominal work. Whatever is possible - planks, side plans, ab wheel, mace/club swings.

- Romanian deadlifts/good mornings. Bodyweight (i.e. unloaded) if need be. Wait until traumatic injury pains are dulled or gone before embarking. The goal is to move through a long range of motion and get copious amounts of blood flow.

Training while injured - Charlie what do

Calisthenics are your friend. If an angle or range of motion hurts or makes your pain/sciatica worse, don't do it. Crazy right?

Good example with me. Pullup and dip variations feel great. Pushup and row variations felt awful because of massive pressure I felt on my back. If it hurts, don't do it!

Prevention tactics - Charlie how not do again 

- repeat of daily walks and abdominal work from healing tactics.

- strengthen and stretch hip flexors and hamstrings.

Neck

Injury history 

- 2021: Multiple disc bulges. My entire left arm went numb for an extended period of time (note: as of 2024, some residual nerve damage is still present). I lost the ability to pull with my left arm entirely.

Healing tactics

- repeat of daily walks from lower back section

 You really just should be walking a lot bruh. 

- stretch chest and neck as possible. Mobility through large slow arm swings and neck rotations. Only work in pain free ranges of motion or ranges that do not increase your numbness.

Training while injured

Not gonna lie, this fucking sucks. Your options are very limited unless you want to prolong your injury timeline.

What worked for me was all lower body focused where load was not a main factor. Specifically:

- bodyweight squat variations.

- sled drags.

Prevention tactics

- repeat of healing tactics.

- avoid blatantly dangerous exercise variations (note: for me, this is barbell overhead press) until your shit is fixed.

- mace swings are greatly assisting with mobility of my chest, shoulders, and lats. This has been $$$$. Notably, mace swings when I was healing was the exact opposite of what I needed. I would have been better off doing pendulum swings (which I do for warmups now) to open up my last and shoulders).

Knees

Injury history

2019: decided to do multiple weeks 20 rep front squats with bodyweight. Lol ok. Nothing diagnosed other than it fucking hurt.

2021: hurt my neck and knee at the same time. Again no diagnosis.

2023: weird ass nerve damage due to a swelling of the patella tendon.

Healing and prevention

I don't know man. I'm still working this out, but I'm making progress. I've been to multiple rounds of physical therapy, and they were great to help me move from barely functional to absolute shit but could walk ok, but the move back to athletic is ongoing.

Finding one arm.weighted walks feel VERY good

What has helped:

- knees over toes 'zero' protocol. Exactly as written.

- engaging my entire foot when lifting and spreading my toes. 

- sled work sparingly. Knees over toes touts this a ton, but backwards sled especially tightens me up.

- slow introduction back into leg training has been helpful. Ripped directly from Julien hard:

1. Add frequency before volume and fatigue

2. Add volume and fatigue before full range of motion

3. Add full range of motion before adding load/tension

4. Add load/tension before adding speed

5. Add speed before impact

Add one variable at a time. 

lady bulk

My dog, Lady, has the best eating discipline. No, it doesn't make sense. Yes, I get jealous every time I see her eat. 

What does she do that I envy? She refuses to eat any meal unless she's been walked, has played, or sprinted. What does she eat (granted, she doesn't have a choice here)? High ass protein and fat. The result is a jacked pitbull mix.

The lesson here is earning your calories then choosing the right fuel. Is there any real reason you need to eat before you've exercised? This isn't a nod to say if you don't exercise then you don't need to eat period, but a one meal a day format works great to compliment that situation. 

Food should support your activity level. 

power calisthenics: Downs variation

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

AM

(1)

Weighted push/pull, downs

(Same movement) Bodyweight push/pull, downs 

(2)

Gut work, downs

Choose: tib, calf, hip flex downs

Straight arm holds

PM

(1)

Bodyweight downs

(2) 

Sled

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

Increase weight when you can hit an 8 down.

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

power calisthenics: rehash

AM

(1) Dips + rows + swings 

(2) Mobility + abs 

(3) Pushups + pullups + swings 

(4) Mobility + abs

Tenants 

Do weighted variations every 3rd session

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

Regularly go to failure

End each upper day with isolation movements

PM - options not necessities 

Carries - Farmers, keg 

Sandbag - squats, carries, throws 

Sled - pull through, rope drag

Other - pullover, cable pulldowns 

Diet

Mythical strength chaos is the plan. 

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

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

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

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

easy strength as a base

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

Easy strength value points

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The everlasting schedule 

- easy strength as a base

- carries, kettlebells, and sprints to stay bouncy

- extra grease the groove upper pulls for fun

- small body parts for work breaka

Mini Workouts: high frequency and low time

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

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

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

Strength 

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

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

Bodyweight, kettlebells, sandbags 

(1)Juarez valley method.

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

(3)Downs.

(4)Straight set circuits.

Notes: 

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

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

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

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

Carry implements: farmers, swing straps, leg

(1)distance and weight vary 

Small body parts

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

Stretching and Mobility

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

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

Accepting injury. Sticking to the plan.

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

The gift of injury

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

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

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

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

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

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

GOALS:

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

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

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

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

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

ring muscle up before I'm 40

Game fucking on y'all. My.nerve damage has diminished to the point where I can train my upper body safety again. In the same way I hit a 500 dead after herniating multiple discs (immediate thought after was oh nooooo I'll never be strong again) I'm going to hit the target I thought was lost to me the moment I injured my neck.

Context. In a single day in 2021:

- I hurt my neck doing handstand pushups (d'oh).

- Hurt it more trying to do a muscle up with no training (why).

- Then made the problem 10x worse by doing farmers walks later in the day (I thought it would stretch me out!).

What resulted was my neck hurting so badly I couldn't move without assistance, my entire left arm going numb, and my body losing all ability to pull (the nerves literally didn't connect). Am I 100% better? Nah. My strength isn't what it was, and there is always some residual numbness. But I'm smarter now. Maybe. Active daily mobility and actually training my neck is mah friend. You probably can't compete at the highest levels of (fill in something) with nerve damage. But a muscle up? Bitch please. This is doable.

The system

Full body every other day. 

- heavy focus on upper body.

- lower body is super light via rehab and acclimation.

Daily practice with false grip. That shit hurts.

Off days.

- neck and foot strength.

- mobility.

The only thing that will change once my lower body is cleared is extra conditioning sessions. I want a larger engine, not necessarily to directly strength train my lower. This means kettlebells and sandbags. Together at last.

shower thought biceps on biceps

The pelican curl is the Nordic hamstring curl for the arms. Extremely high tension and high difficulty ceiling. 

Training elements are mostly the same. Slow negatives, full range of motion with bands 

calisthenics progression (still vetting)

Every once in a while a fun idea comes across your brain. It's too good to ignore sonit gets put into immediate action.

Concept 

Prioritizing calisthenics via both weights and leverage progressions 

What it looks like

Shoot for a rep goal

Add weight when the rep goal is achieved 

Repeat until stale

Deload movement

Replace movement with a more difficult variation.

Example

Pushups 3x15, increase weight

+2.5lbs Pushups 3x12

+2.5lbs Pushups 3x15, increase weight

+5lbs Pushups 3x10

...weeks later

+25lbs Pushups 3x6, my shit hurts.

Pushups 3x5

Pushups 3x10, switch to new movement.

Archer Pushups 3x7

Archer Pushers 3x9

Etc

staggered rest versus supersets

I read something in Overcoming Gravity (gymnastics training for gen pop, excellent read and reference) that resonated with me and I've since implemented in my own training. 

Concept

Staggering rest periods instead of super setting exercises. 

Example super setting followed by rest

Set of ring pullups

Set of ring dips

Rest 3-5min

Example of staggering rest periods

Set of ring pullups 

Rest 1.5-2.5min

Set of ring dips

Rest 1.5-2.5min

Benefits

- fatigue from the leading exercise does not limit the second exercise.

- grip strength is not a limiting factor.

- rest periods can be used to stretch antagonist muscles, warm up the lower body, or sit and chill.

- overall cycle time of the workout is not extended.

Overall performance will still be better if you chose neither of the options above (pullups, rest 5min, pullups, etc), but the tradeoff is a longer workout. If your goal is to improve conditioning, then this method is not for you. The rest periods in line are geared towards strength development.

I was able to use the stagger method to complete the sets below in 45min. 

Ring pullups X3 stagger bar dips X3

Pelican curls X3 stagger pushups X3

V sit x3 stagger Romanian deadlift X3

Ring wrist curls x1 

rehab work: don't be dainty

I'm in a bad position and I hate it. My knee has been a problem for years and I'm finally in physical therapy dealing with it. Because that wasn't enough, my neck is flaring up in a major way that promises to hand me another couple of years of pain and discomfort. As with all setbacks, this is a blessing in disguise. 

Over the past few years I haven't been able to give what I would consider high effort to any sets. My body and strength 100% reflect this. The main mission is clear: fix my shit. Strength and conditioning can take a back seat for a few months so long term progress can actually happen.

The plan

- actually purchase and follow someone else mobility plan. The slot machine approach I'm taking is too random to be useful.

- spend 3 months building mobility and joint integrity.

- reintroduce strength training. The mobility train doesn't stop, it just takes a supporting role.

Where dainty matters

My knee physical therapy can be done in my sleep. If the goal is to build up the muscle and tissues that are atrophied, dainty isn't the way to go.

Why not train these movements with intensity? Why not train as if they were main movements? They're all I can do right now! I'm bored because I'm treating them like a chore instead of a goal. I can tell ya, 2x10 of single leg calf raises slaps very different then hitting single leg calf raises to failure, then assisted failure, then double leg calf raises with extended range of motion to failure and assisted failure. 

One of these methods sets off hypertrophic processes. The other isn't garbage, but I'm way less incentivised to follow it. 

daily training: the importance of light days

Training daily will build your capacity to do work no doubt, but you are not an infinite machine. Sooner or later the fatigue from heavy days will manifest in feeling tired, irritable, or overly sore in key areas (lower back) limiting your overall outputs.

The easiest way to mitigate long term stress is to implement active recovery days. The overall stress should be low while still providing a stimulus.

Ideas

- long brisk walks

- push or pull sled

- kettlebell carries (multiple levels)

- band movements for high reps

action after injuries!

The worst advice I ever got during physical therapy and chiro post injury was essentially the same: stop doing everything. Cool story bro. I stopped. The pain got worse, not better. I lost muscle and gained fat. Basically all the worst parts of the Bible.

Workaround.

Youre hurt, not broken. There is always something you can do. Injuries are opportunities in disguise to get fucking creative and progress by spamming movements you still have the ability to do. Experiment. If it causes pain or makes the injury worse. STOP! 

Your job is to heal. 

Your affected body part may or may do it on its own. Barring the need for surgery, your job is do everything in your power to recover. This might mean constant walks, light strengthing and mobility of surrounding joints and muscles. You know, boring shit. Embrace it. You can either be back to where you were 4 months from now or just starting to figure it out years later. Don't be the second guy.

Per body part I've injured:

Back

- heal: brisk walks, suitcase carries

- workaround: pullups, dips, single arm presses, chest supported rows, bw Bulgarian split squats 

Neck

- heal: chest stretches (door jam, barbell rollouts), neck and back massage

- workaround: walks, sled pulls (weight around waist)

Knee

- heal: will tell ya when I know. Right now,.weighted carries feel great.

- workaround: upper upper body is in 

if I had to rebuild from scratch

'What would I do if I could start over' is a fun thought experiment I like to mosey down periodically. This takes into account injury history, current strength and size levels given where I'm at now, and the time investment I've spent driving to and from gyms. Much like my great possession purge of 2019, this experiment forces me to reevaluate the choices I've made and what equipment I really need.

If some random stranger ever sees this, please don't take this as dogma. I only got to where I was by trying a lot of shit and fucking up a million times along the way. Your journey and goals may be very different than mine. All of the words below are powered on the wings of hindsight.

1. Invest in a home gym.

Between 2020 and 2023, I've dropped about $3000 on equipment I will own forever. Some of that equipment (armor fitness sled, the strap) was both not usable and a large chunk of this budget. Even so, my gym memberships from 2009-2019 ran about $30/month.

30*12months*10yrs = $3600.

Surface level this is almost the same amount of money, but it's not even close. Every gym I've ever been to created a fight for equipment, parking spots, and included a lengthy drive for stuff I did not and would never own.

In the next couple of bullets I'll dilute the $3000 I spent event further. A home gym is a long term cheaper alternative for equipment that is free 24/7.

2. Don't buy protein powder.

I'd like to say 'dont but supplements period' but that would be a bit disingenuous. Food should be the primary driver of your protein. It's too easy to fall into the trap of using whey to replace a good meal. 

Supplements I do like and take daily:

- magnesium glycinate 

- zinc (no isotope preference)

- creatine 

3. But Olympic rings first.

This runs under the assumption that you have places to hang them. Alternatively an initial investment of a sturdy Pullup bar followed by rings works as well.

If all you cared about was a build upper body, you can stop here. Even without adding weight, the amount of variation you can add to basic movements means you will never run out of progressions or skills to try for. 

Ring cost: $30/set.

Suggested investment: 1 pair if you are not lazy. 3 pairs of you are lazy (note: I am a lazy fuck and like my rings preset for pullups, dips, and pushups without having to reset them. This is not necessary but I've got the disposable cash to manage).

4. But sandbags second.

This one was a surprise to me. I'm a recent shill for sandbags so a lot of this energy is newbie joy. 

Sandbags check a ton of boxes. They build real world stable strength, can double as a non dangerous squatting tool, are great for carries, and also are great for safe dynamic pulls. Due to their lack of stability, they are not optimal if you're looking to build max strength or size. For my goals, they are absolutely perfect. I'd rather be the guy who can any day throw a 200lb sandbag on his shoulders half a dozen times than the dude who can deadlift 400lbs for reps.

The sandbags themselves aren't cheap (if you buy the nicer strongman bags), but the sand inside them is literally cheap as dirt. Quick side by side given the market today on iron weights versus sand.

Iron 100lbs * $2/lb = $200.

Sand 100lbs * $0.10/lb = $10.

A barbell might only be $150 but getting the weights for what you need will still carry a hefty investment. The major downside to sandbags is also my favorite upside. Unlike barbells, changing weight is a pain in the ass. The shill is talking loudly here, but one of the coolest things about old time strongmen is they did not have access to adjustable barbells like we have today. All of their barbells and implements were fixed weight. It's all they had to work with. What happens when you get so strong with the same weight that it's stupid? You find creative ways to bring the intensity back up and the reps back down until you get better at that variation as well. Sandbags aren't necessarily in the same league because at the end of the day you CAN still adjust them within their carry limit. However, my favorite use of them is to use a weight until it'l feels too light to be challenging anymore.

Sandbag cost: $100-$200 per bag for cerebus bags. You can also build your own for cheap using old bags and bag liners. 

Sand cost: $5/50lbs.

5. Buy kettlebells third.

This can be a single bell, a single adjustable bell, or multiple bells. Unless you plan on being a pure kettlebell lifter, don't stress too much on what to get. 

I definitely stressed over cast iron versus competition. Then adjustable versus regular. In the end, they're all good for different things. If the bell is too light, lift it more or find different ways to lift it that make it more difficult. See my fixed weight ramble in the sandbag section.

Price is wildly different depending on what you want. If I could redo this, I would find the cheapest 16kg, 20kg, and 24kg bells on sale and call it a day.

6. Buy a Nordic stick fourth.

Nordic hamstring curls are the fucking bomb. There are a crap ton of items on the market that range from 300-1000 to assist with glute ham raises or Nordic curls, but I've found the Nordic stick to work just fine for cheap.

Nordic curls are great for hamstring strength and size wrapped in a bodyweight movement. I'm wrapping in bands to this sale as you will almost certainly need them to make the movement easier when first starting.

Nordic stick coat: $30

Bands (rogue - 2 blue, 2 orange): $50

7. Buy a barbell and weights last.

This route obviously won't work if your goal is max strength or size. So again, take with grains of salt.

For me, barbells serve very limited usage. They still reign king for most people, but this isn't a list for most people. 

I mainly use barbells for the following:

- pin squats 

- pendlay rows, one arm rows

- shoulder rollouts (stretch)

I love what I have, but if I could go back in time, a barbell (and rack) would have been the last on my list. Another reason for this placement is I had it stuck in my head for YEARS that I would be unable to make any type of progress without both a bar and a rack. When I finally got both I told my wife it was fucking game time. Little did I know I would end up barely using said rack in lieu for everything else on this list.

Another big driver away from racks and barbells is I work from home. When you are home all day everyday you get stir crazy as fuck. For my mental health, I need daily exercise outside in the sun. Working out in my rack does not support that need.

more ramblings on a carry based program

To review, my program consists of a few things:

- daily easy strength: dips and chinups.

- daily stretching and mobility.

- 3x week sandbag carries, squats, cleans, and throws.

- 1x week Nordic curls (bb rep ranges), keg carries.

I don't want to undersell how much I love this format. Program ADD is handled by the fact that the main movements have no defined weight. For kegs and sandbags it's just: move it a few times if it's heavy and a lot of times if it's light. Move as fast as possible during carries and never carry the same way twice. My back feels GREAT in a way that kind of surprised me. I'm not expecting to get huge off of this type of training in most body parts (looking at you shoulders, legs, and arms) but my erectors are going to be fuckin columns of steel. Very batman results. 

I'm feeling almost 0 overall fatigue and I can feel my conditioning get better week by week. Hell man, last week post cleans my entire back and traps felt like someone had smashed them with tiny hammers. This week I went harder and my back barely noticed. 

The absolute best part of this is getting 'used' to a weight while still making progress. I can sum up progressive overload like:

- go for more sets in the same amount of time

- add more reps between carries.

- consciously move faster during carries. You should be trying to move at a dead run.

- every 2-4 weeks add a little water (keg) and sand (bags).

ez strength: step loading weighted calisthenics

Weighted calisthenics is a great AM option for easy strength. This goes double considering the lions share of my actual training is conditioning with sandbags which contains absolutely 0 pressing.

The area where I'm going outside of easy strength is in the daily rep ranges. I start inside the params and end slightly out. The overall daily volume is still EXTREMELY small, and none of the sets build any type of fatigue. Recovery day to day has been a non issue.

Step Loading Easy Strength (3-5min daily) 

Calisthenics press 2-5x2-3

(Super set) Calisthenics pull 2-5x2-3

Rest 1min between super sets 

This works great regardless of whether you need regressed, bodyweight, or weighted versions of a movement.

Every day, add a rep to the daily load. Once you max out the 3's, add a set and regress to sets of 2 again. NEVER STRUGGLE.

Example (each row is a day)

2,2,2

3,2,2

3,3,3

2,2,2,2

3,2,2,2

...

3,3,3,3,3

Increase weight or progress variation

2,2,2

Weight increments should be the smallest possible increment (2.5-5lbs). The goal is to be able.to.comtinually gain strength as long as possible without changing movements or deloading.

sandbag based training program

Tldr if I could rebuild my gym, I would keep the rings, the sandbags, the sled, and a kettlebell. If I move I might leave the power rack behind.

This shit is money. All main movements are based around squatting, throwing, and carrying sandbags. Assistance is a mix of barbell, kettlebell, and calisthenics. There are four(4) mesocycles in a year long macrocycle. 

Each mesocycle is based around three(3) concepts:

• A calisthenics movement or curl performed daily. 
• Set sandbag weight(s). 2-4x a week.
• Kettlebell or barbell assistance. 2-4x a week after sandbag training. The movement patterns should be the opposite of the daily movement.

At the end of every mesocycle:

• Change your daily movement.
• Increase sandbag weights.

The goal is to use each three(3) month mesocycle to own the crap out of a given sandbag weight. Your bags should feel like toys when you are done. Progression with sandbags can take the form of adding more reps/rounds, performing more rounds, adding more exercises to each round.

Schedule

AM - Daily

Mobility

10 sets of the daily movement: Dips, Pullups, Pushups, DB Curls. 1min rest between sets.

Stretch

PM - 2-4x a week.

30min sandbag training. Combine different permutations of squats, carries, and throws. 

Assistance:

• Counter daily movement 3x8. 1min rest between sets.
• 1x BW reverse lunges to failure.
• Stretch.

PM - non-lifting days.

Sled, KB Swings, Suitcase Carries. 

Sandbag Parking Lot

Squat: Bear hug squat (1 or 2 arm), shoulder squat, box squat, jump squat.

Carry: Bear hug (1 or 2 arm), overhead, shoulder.

Throw: Over shoulder, slam, push forward. 

high frequency barbell, kettlebell, and calisthenics

Nothing new to say here. It's important I record when I'm doing something I love so when I inevitably forget I have a clear record of the past.

Goals 6/19/23

General 

- improve condition, work capacity, and mobility

- get outside daily

- introduce movement (sprints, bounds, crawls) into the mix for the thought of moving doesn't feel alien

Specific

- half snatch 28kg x 12

- goblet squat 32kg x 12

- floor press 200lb x 12

Schedule

M-F AM: modified easy strength 

M-F PM: alternate upper calisthenics and kb

Sat AM: barbell upper bodybuilding

Modified easy strength: 15min

Jump rope

Ab wheel

Lower barbell movement <= 10 reps

Light kb swing

Stretch and mobility

Upper calisthenics

Strength: weighted or advanced patterns

Afternoon suntan: outside volume, crawls, downs, etc

Kb

Sprint 

Dynamic movement - snatch, swing, jumps, etc

Squat

Deadlift

Leg curls 

Bodybuilding

Press 50 in 5 ss pull 50 in 5

Lats 60 in 4

abbreviated training + conditioning

I need to stop myself every time I build a program with 4+ days of lifting a week. It's not like that doesn't work. It totally does. But I also walk around feeling like absolute tired shit all the time. I thought this was a bad thing for years and years but really it's a god damn blessing to have 'bad recovery.' I get more out of less work bwahhhhhh. Lifting 2x a week is money when you go hard in the paint on every set then recover.

This is not saying that I'm a couch potato the remaining 5 days of the week. Far from it. Every day has something physical whether it's kettlebell conditioning, sled drags, stretching, and calisthenics. The idea is that the non lifting days do not eat further into recovery.

Example

Monday

Squat or Press 1-5 sets. 50 rep goal.

Nordic hamstring curl 1xbeyond failure 

Carry 10min

Tuesday 

Calisthenics. One push or pull.

Kettlebell conditioning 20-30min

Wednesday

Sled, stretching, or off

Thursday

Deadlift 1-5 sets. 50 rep goal.

Sissy squat. 1xbeyond failure

Carry 10min

Friday 

Same as Tuesday 

Sat

Same as Wednesday 

Sun

Off

Lifting cycle and movement replacement

The same movement variations repeat in a 2 week rotation. Meaning you will only practice a movement one time every 2 weeks. If you fail to increase reps towards the 50 rep goal 2 weeks in a row, swap it out for a different lift.

Squats: Zercher, safety, front, landmine, viking, sandbag

Presses: floor press, landmine, viking, calisthenics presses, one arm javelin, kettlebell 

Deads: snatch rack pull, sumo, hang clean, hang snatch high pull, one arm deadlift 

For squats and deads, work up to a very low max before hitting volume towards your rep goal. Use straps for deadlift volume. Grip should not be the limiting factor on reps but it should on strength.

Increase weight 5-10 pounds at a time. If things are going well, you should not be replacing more.than 1 movement at a time.

$$$ conditioning tool: sled and kb combo

30min on the clock

Equipment needed:

- drag sled.

- single kettlebell. The weight doesn't matter.

Alternate until time is up

Sled drag

Snatch (left)

Sled drag

Snatch (right)

Sled drag

Swing (left)

Sled drag

Swing (right)

Progression by adding a small amount of reps over time to kb movements. Increase weight of the sled by 2.5-5lbs and the kb by 2-4kg once kb reps reach the stratosphere.

The goal is restoration and conditioning. Avoid failure and fatigue like the plague.

The fast motion of a kb followed by the slow motion of a sled drag makes my butt feel feelings. 

3 months of kettlebelling : lessons learned

Oh boy here I go brain dropping again.

Fixed weight implements are the fucking bomb. I missed out on 2020 when I 'only' had a 20kg kettlebell and thought I couldn't do anything useful with it. Today, it's the most common implement I use. Times change.

If your back hurts after ballistics, you likely aren't hinging well or hinging at the mid back instead of the hips. Film yourself with a light bell to see where your weakness lies.

Dan John's easy strength program pairs VERY well with kb strength, conditioning, and bodybuilding.

Current program:

M-F morning is easy strength.

M-Sat afternoon is kettlebell work. Two of those days use 5/3/1 progression for overload movements followed by lighter assistance (high volume and movement variety).

Arms are thrown in whenever cause arms.

This may be shit technique, but with one handed movements I've found I like to favor the blastoff force on the opposite glute and hamstring.

Variety is rewarded over specificity. There's nothing wrong with training a specific movement pattern, but where kettlebells shine is just how many ways you can swing, press, squat, whatever them.

If you are using your free arm for balance when using a single bell, you are robbing your obliques of a crazy training effect. Keep your arm out when you need assistance or when you are exploring new weights. For volume or ladder training, let your abs provide your balance. 

If you don't know how kettlebells work your abs, try snatches with a heavier weight. Those fuckers are trying to yank you over unless you provide the counter force in your own body.

Swings are both under and overrated. I can't see them being a great long term minimalism training movement, but they shine for me with the following:

- light swings to prime the pump for heavier work

- heavy swings used to overload the muscles used for snatches and cleans. It's weird AF to relegate a movement as assistance then work it harder than the main movements but here we are.

Kettlebells are a cult of personality for a reason. Im able to work out outside and get some sun everyday without a huge time investment. It cannot be understated how important this is 

You don't have to 'just' do kettlebells. You may end up in that lane, but don't trade one dogma for another.

Kettlebells build muscle like any other tool. Pay attention to the people that are getting jacked with bells. There is no one method that works for everyone, but the through line is consistency and a focus on progression like any other implement. Weight progression will come slower with bells but it still needs to be a part of your plan.

You can bodybuild with kettlebells, but kettlebells will never make you into a competitive bodybuilder. For general strength training, it's just peachy.