this feels fucking good

A few weeks in of calisthenics circuits and mobility. I. Feel. GREAT!

Joints feel fantastic because im never quite going to failure or repeating the same movement pattern too often. My cardio is in a place its never been before lol. Physique likewise is doing good. Injuries slowly healing. 

I like that there is no plan for weight, just difficulty. Can I do X progression today? If only for a few reps, I can pivot to something else easily. 

The easy secondary push or pull is a great lever for progression as I can increase the reps there first without burying myself.

All in all, stellar.

My personal trainer noticed how much improvement im making in basic mobility and my ability to not gas out. All this in a few weeks.

Kratos dominoose revisited

PILLARS

- Strength endurance

- Move yourself

- Move other things 

- Freedom of movement 

CALISTHENICS - AM DAILY 

- Press focus row+dip+abs

- Mobility+lower juarez+back ext

- Press focus pullup+pushup+abs

- Calves+tibs+lower juarez+back ext

- Pull focus row+dip+abs

- Mobility+lower juarez+back ext

- Pull focus pullup+pushup+abs

- Calves+tibs+lower juarez

CALISTHENICS NOTES

- ladders (5/3/2) for rep schemes.

- progression: 5 sets in 30min, increase reps of easy movement, increase main movement reps, change to harder variations.

- avoid failure.

- rest in full squat.

- sub in mace for ab work.

MOVE OTHER THINGS

- carries for time.

- get some sun.

GGBB revisited

I keep coming back to the general gains body building (GGBB) concept. Its a great progression model that takes autoregulation into account while respecting the need for both body building and conditioning as a base. What always rubbed me wrong were two aspects:

- t3 (light sets)

- t2 half sets

I had a lightbulb moment yesterday and needed to write it down.

T3 sets

How I've treated these in the past is their own individual exercise. I cant emphasize this enough, THAT ISNT HOW THE PROGRAM WAS WRITTEN LOL. T3 exercises were meant to be part of a super set with T2 - either the same or opposing muscle group is up to the user.

This can drive a set deeper into stimulation without feeling like i have to go to failure on these Tricep extensions and oh god what am I doing with my life.

Example

T2: Ring dips x11

T3: tricep extension x20 or planche lean x20s

Rest 60-90s

T2 secondary sets with T3 super set

T2 Half Sets

These are exactly what they sound like. After the initial T2 set, the following secondary sets use half volume until the overall volume has doubled. Using the example above:

Ring dips x 11

Ring dips x 5

Ring dips x 5

Ring dips x 5 

Ring dips x 5

If in subsequent sessions the primary set is still 11 reps, progression can be made through adding secondary volume. 

These secondary sets always felt too far from failure to be useful. Ideas:

- do nothing but how it is written. Adding the t3 into the mix could easily bridge the gap. do this first!

- go for 1 rep in reserve every set regardless of the rep count. The positive here is the increase in failure proximity. The negative is definitely the fatigue and blurry lines in progression. How many sets or volume does one add if the first set fails to move? By default this could be '1xhalf set reps'.

Example

Ring dips x 11 (failure to get 12)

Ring dips x 5

Ring dips x 5

Ring dips x 5 

Ring dips x 5

Ring dips x 3-5 (progression set)

the back problem, always have a plan

Yesterday, was bad. Very bad. I did back mobility and nordic curls thinking my dosc herniations would play nice.

Ron Howard VO: they didn't

Bad sleep and many pain pills later, im brought back to a YouTube channel lower back ability - a sister channel to knees over toes. Sometimes you see the right thing at the right time and NOW is the right time. 

Do i have any right to work my abs, legs, and back like I dont have nerve damage and live in low to medium pain? Fucccck no. This is my mistake. Keeping my eye so hard on the prize (lifting sandbags, kettlebells, maces outside) I've ignored the stepping stones to get me there. What we need is a plan. And I fucking love plans.

The plan

Upper body: keep doing what you're doing. This rules. No need for us to give up a jacked upper body while we work on the middle and lower.

The legs: keep doing mobility. Add in vertical bodyweight movements to ease back into deeper ranges of motion. Take it SLOW. Sled work outside is how we spend our lunch.

The abs: not sure. The McGill big 3 dead ass does NOT feel good right now. I tried standing landmine tosses for obliques and they felt pretty rad.

The back: getting schwifty. 

May-June: NOTHING! And answer on a low back ability video had to do with someone asking how soon they could start after a herniated disc. Homeboy said we'll if you just injured yourself 3 weeks ago then no. Thats a YIKES from me dog. Id like to see my daily pain be at his regular 3/10 before setting off on step 2.

July: buy a back extension. Begin static holds. 

August: consider dropping PT and starting a low back ability sub.

what does mobility look like?

Here's an example that works for me.

Knees over toes

Tib raise x20 + calf raise x20

Tib raise x20 + knees over toes calf raise x20

Tib raise x20 + Jefferson step 2x20

Mobilize spine

Bent over QL reaches 2x12 + upper isometric

Cat cow 2x10 + upper isometric 

Glute bridge (bridge progression) 3x50. Do not push until failure.

Stretches

Adductor + upper isometric

Hamstring + upper isometric

Hips

Downward dog into forward step

This is easy, repeatable, and offers movement to stiff joints. The upper isometric offers a way to flush blood into areas that were worked the day prior.

bulldozer rest pause

AM push/pull

Press x5

Press x5

Press x6

Tricep x6

Rear x6

Pull x5

Pull x5

Pull x6

Biceps x6

Rear x6

Rest 2-3min between exercises

Rest pause

- x5: 30,30,45,60

- X6: 15,15,30,30,40

PM

Work up to carries

OFF

Mobility, rope flow, calves, neck, glute bridges 

calisthenics kelso shrugs build commective tissue

For the life of me, I cant find evidence of kelso shrugs on YouTube unless its a literal shrug with weight. In kelsos actual book of shrugs, he expanded the core concept (barbell row shrug) into any kind of movement. This being said, I think kelso shrugs are horribly misrepresented when it comes to building connective tissue where it matters.

Take my current 6 week block of movements:

Ring dip, ring row 

Dip, side row

After these are all done, knocking out 2 sets of kelso shrugs with the ring row and dip can both be done under fatigue and build tissue where the movement is initiated. This lays bricks for future workouts like gangbusters.

train what you can. build what you cant

Going to use my current situation at a lever here. My right knee is an ongoing situation, and my back is a new situation. I can probably squat and deadlift a barbell or light kettlebell without discomfort or pain but that's about it. Knowing that, does it really make sense to stress building strength with damaged body parts using weights that would have been considered way too light the first time I touched a weight? Fuckkkkk no.

One of my big regrets from when I built my home gym in 2020 was i lamented my inability to squat and deadlift - movement patterns all of my programming has always encircled. In retrospect, by now I could have had 5 years of pullup and dip mastery with what i had at the time. All the while working on fixing my injuries in parallel to 'real' training. I won't make the same mistake twice.

My upper body feels awesome if slightly uncomfortable due to the constant ebb of back sciatica. Assuming this current back injury lasts nearly as long as its 2 brethren, I can dig in years of quality upper body hypertrophy. In parallel, there is no reason why back safe work cant be in progress via nordics, hamstring curls, lunges, etc. 

This injury is a gift.

its only 30min

This is a stick to the plan post.

Easy strength + mobility only takes about 30min. If you just do the lifting its easily just 20min. It doesn't wear you down for the rest of the day, and its rare my next day of lifting feels wrong.

Other programs have a large advantage on size no doubt, but the fatigue can be absolutely brutal. We dont even know the possibility of size increases on this program because we haven't seen results of long term adherence. There is no way that moving from a daily 150x2x5 to a daily 200x2x5 does not increase size.

Stick to the plan.

the long way is the short cut

Again, watching lower back ability videos. Homeboy is talking about taking 2yrs to build up progressions of this basic movements to the point where your back has the tissue build that it needs. Sounds like a lot right? Wrong.

I've been in cycles of pain for the last 12yrs. That is 6 two year cycles. My back will get better for a bit, I think im fine, then I get hurt again. When im hurt, im not making progress. Things like Jefferson curls and back extensions are developmental exercises for a reason. They are developing armor that allows you to do whack shit. 

Take the long road because its the short cut. Jumping back into exercises that push weight because that's how you will get bigger and stronger before you're ready isn't the hack you need it to be.

why fasting

My wife gets weirded out when I engage in daily fasts. It isn't because she thinks I have an eating disorder. Its because her body reacts the polar opposite when she goes without food.

Me without food: energized. 

Her without food: angry. Low energy. 

I thought through more of my why's.

- when I do eat, I feel more efficient. There is no 'low energy' period unless I eat garbage.

- better food choices are easier. Like it or not, some days fasting is more work than others. Do you really want to do the work to throw it away on a glorified protein candy bar? Thats definitely a choice, but the draw is MUCH less pronounced.

- weight loss without morning lifting shitting the bed. Weight loss is a foregone conclusion if fasting reaches 24hrs or more (note: younger really got to try to mess this up). That being said, if all of my calories are dropping between 5-8p, then more 630a weight training sessions still feel fed. 

- more efficient disposal. Poops have been great. Nuff said

5-3-2 : favorite easy strength rep scheme

Dan John proposes a ton of rep schemes to use with easy strength (note: also an even easier strength). They ALL work, but I've found the more static rep schemes dont allow for bad days as much as 5/3/2.

Why 5-3-2? The 5 is more or less the warmup. Easy to moderate difficulty that you have proven you can do sick dying or dead. You should be able to walk in and do this with 0 warmup for the actual movement minus joint prep. The 5 is also where the magic is:

- easy? Press on.

- feels moderately difficult? Do another 3-5 at the same weight and call it. Removing weight is also an option.

- didn't get 5 reps? Dont move up weight until all 5 are cake.

You can always fake a 2-3 rep set even if the 5 is difficult. Don't do it! If the 5 is tough, use this as a tonic day. Come back tomorrow and try again. Frequency drives progress, not pounding yourself into the ground.

easy strength and eccentrics

Eccentrics have a place in easy strength! Unlike normal strength exercises where you quit before fatigue sets in, with eccentrics you quit before your ability to control the rep sets in. 

This works really well with movements where you can easily reset the rep. I.e. bench press bad. Chinups good. Nordic good. 

lightbulb: lower back the big 3 and starting strength

Watching a video by channel lower back ability and heard something that resonated. When I first read the gift of injury, I looked at the big 3 within as something I juat DO from now on. And it certainly did help my initial injury calm down, but I soon found myself hurt again. And again. And again. I didn't understand. I was, doing the thing. Why isn't this working? Heres the thing, it was working great. But not at the level I needed it to.

Here is the idea. The big 3 is starting strength for back rehab. It is meant to take a beginner and give them the fundamentals to move onward and upwards. From there, the concepts are kept BUT THE PROGRAM IS LEFT BEHIND. You wouldn't ask why isn't starting strength preparing me for contact sports, gpp, powerlifting whatever. Why would you expect the same of something meant to help you recover from injury?

The big 3

Go from sub human to human. Teaching your hips, abs, and back to work together. 

Actual back programming

Build strength athleticism and resilience.

weight 4/30 208.4

April set point 208.4

where does mobility fit?

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

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

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

Example:

1. Ez strength

Klokov press, l sit, tib raise, calf raise

Klokov press, l sit, tib raise, kot calf

Klokov press, l sit, Peterson step

(Chinup, nordic, atg split squat) x 3

2. Body building

Archer row, elephant walk

Archer row, butterfly stretch

Archer row, couch stretch

easy strength + bb + carries: how its going

Fucking great, why thanks.

Combines the best of all worlds.

Easy strength

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

Bodybuilding

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

- rep goal (12-20)

- one and a half reps to the same rep goal

- then, increase weight

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

Carries

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

choosing EZ Strength movements

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

Dan breaks easy strength movements into patterns:

- push (suggests vertical)

- pull (suggests vertical)

- hinge 

- ab (suggests wheel)

- carry (suggests varied load and type) or swing

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

Param inputs

What is scalable

What is easily adjustable 

What are body restrictions

What is stable

Scalable

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

Adjustable 

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

Body restrictions 

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

Stable

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

Example that fits all params

Klokov press

Parallel chinup

Nordic curl 

Ab wheel 

more on easy strength: 4 physical pillars

Morning: Set a 30min timer

Non negotiable 

1. Easy strength 2-5x a week

As written.

2. Calisthenics and sled pulls 

Use remainder of 30min not used by easy strength

Sled pulls are rest time from calisthenics 

Change angle and stability of calisthenics daily

Explore deep ranges of motion over rep speed

Afternoon

When time and energy allows

Get some sun bro

3. Carries

Vary weight and implement 

Build the engine

4. Mobility

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

its the combination that counts

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

- the only X exercises you will ever need!

- dont do Y because its useless.

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

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

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