Strongman day 1

1400

Openers
1) biceps/triceps openers, 3-4 kg
2) landmine rows - 2x6xbar
3) DB Z-press to 5rm - 6,8,10,12.5,15 kg
*lost torso position at this weight
4) lateral raises - 2 sets 4 kg, 2 sets 5 kg
4x15s db lat raises + 15s thumbs up iso hold
4x15s db thumbs up lat raises + 15s palm up iso hold
5) db presses - 2x30s, 10 kg

Strongman conditioning
1) single arm kb clean+press+overhead squat (3+3+3)
3 sets @ 12 kg
*limited by overhead squat mobility on this; stuck to 12 kg to work on technique

2) rope pulls - 2x200 ft @ +40 kg, max intensity
*50 ft pull down/low handle sled push back x 4
4 minutes rest between sets

3) overhead barbell carries
100ft w. turn around - 20,30,40 kg
50 ft - 40,50,60 kg

4) max reps db front rack squats, 35 kg - 22 reps

5) 200m db front rack carry, 35 kg

6) 300m sled push for time, +40 kg - 5:06
*high push down/low push back, turn every 50 ft

• Notes: This one smoked me. Trying to steadily increase weight on all of the openers, especially the z presses and lateral raises. Single arm overhead squat was very challenging since I haven't done any of that in forever, so mobility is a little lacking. Would like to work more consistently on it though as it feels great on the shoulder. The rope pulls....good god. I felt the intensity on this one, and it took a while to recovery afterwards. Focused on supinating as much as possible and pulling as fast as possible. Combined with the sled push afterwards this is straight up awful. Still don't have a heavy sandbag, so trying to experiment with dumbbells to replicate carries and squats. 
• Body: Elbows are very sore from yesterday, so it made a lot of today difficult. My lats were totally pumped up after the rope pulls in a way I haven't felt in a while. We will see how it feels on the shoulder tomorrow.

Clean complex, upper body plyos, decline bench, deadbugs

1200

1) 500m row, pawu

2) clean warmup w. empty bar

3) clean complex - power clean+hang power clean+front squat (1+1+4)

20,40,50,60,70,80,82.5,85 kg

4) 4 rounds:

upper body med ball plyo circuit x25, 4 kg ball

10 x neutral grip pullups

5) decline DB bench 15-12-10-8 (15,17.5,20,22.5 kg)

*max reps hex press @ 22.5 kg - 15 reps

6) 3 x 60s kb deadbug, 15 kg

Strongman Day 2

1200

Openers

1) biceps/triceps openers, 3 kg

2) rear delt warmup Ts/Ys/Is, 2 kg

3) 3 rounds:

10 x supinated barbell rows (40,50,50 kg)

15 x ab wheels

4) viking press, alternating - 2x10

5) 4 rounds:

15s db lateral raises + 15s hercules holds thumbs up, 4 kg

6) 4 rounds:

15s db lateral raises thumbs up + 15s hercules holds palms up, 4 kg

Conditioning

1) harness sled drags - worked up to +80kg

2) kb waiter carries, 100 ft @ each L/R

16,20,24 kg

3) overhead barbell carries, 2x50 ft @ each

40,50 kg

4) db farmer carries - 3x150 ft @ 35 kg

5) sled drags

2x200 ft @ +50 kg

60s rest between each

6) reverse sled drags

2x200 ft @ +50 kg

60s rest between each

7) sled sprints for max speed - 4x50 ft @ each, alternating high/low pushes

+20,40,60 kg 

• Notes: Very limited on the short turf section on these, as it is only 50 feet max. Most of the drags/pulls are calling for 100+ feet, which is a totally different stimulus, but I am doing what I can. Found a way to take a smaller sled outside to the road for longer drags and reverse drags so that should help. Today made my shoulders feel really good, I like the lateral raises and holds and as always enjoy the farmer carries.
• Body: Elbow back to normal, must have been just a tweak. Feeling really good and posterior chain is getting strong.

Intensity sprints, back squats, plyos, triceps

1200

1) sprint prep warmup

2) intensity sprints - 5x100 yds, rest as needed in between

3) back squat - work up to heavy 5
60,80,100,110,112.5 kg

4) single leg deadlift practice, empty bar

5) plyos - 5 rounds with rest between sets
5 x plyo pushups, 2 bumpers
20 x plyo skiers
10 x med ball to toes

6) 3 rounds:
30s max banded tricep extensions
30s plank

• Notes: Good sprint work today. Stayed barefoot on the back squats and felt solid there, although its significantly under my best 5 rep.
• Body: Elbow feeling much better after some soft tissue work and doing some triceps to flush it out a little bit today. Was sore in some really good areas after the julian workout on monday. Most notably in the mid-back/lower traps, forearms, calves, and shoulders.

Strongman day

Going to start trying out some of Julian's workouts once a week just to work on some deficiencies and new skills now that I have access to a sled.

warmup and openers:
1) biceps and triceps openers, 3kg
2) db T/Y/Is, 3kg - 2x10
3) landmine rows - 2x8 each arm
4) barbell Z press - 3x10x20kg
5) db press - 2x10 w. max hold after, 10kg

conditioning:
1) work up to heavy 3 rep single arm kb press - 12,16,20kg
2) rope pulls - 2x100ft @ +40,60kg
3) db farmer carry - 2x100ft @ 40, 42.5kg
4) bb overhead carry - 2x200ft @ 20,30kg
5) punching bag carry - 2x100m (75ish lbs)
6) punching bag squats - 2x10 each way
7) high sled push - 300yds for time @ +60kg (6:13), turn every 50 ft

• Notes: Bought a month of julian's 2 day/week programming just to check it out. Going to try to consistently do it once a week. Very upper body intensive and lots of carries. Biggest things I learned were that sandbag carries suck ass and I need to do heavy farmer carries more often.
• Body: Right elbow is pretty pissed off for some reason. Been doing a lot of volume on the rope pulls which is a new movement for me, so that could be the culprit, as well as all the extensor work. Diet is pretty shit right now also so joints might just be a little inflamed. Will keep an eye on it.

Deadlift, split squats, overhead carries and press, dips, sled drags

1300

1) pawu

2) deadlift - 5 x 60,90,100,120,130kg

3) single leg RDL practice, 45#

4) bulgarian split squats - 8x30kg, 10x30kg

5) single DB clean and press (1+5)
35,37.5,40,42.5,45kg

6) 5 minute amrap - 1 x clean and press + 15 yd overhead carry (40kg DB)

7) dips - 3x10

8) reverse sled drags @ +80kg
amrap in 5 minutes of 15 yd drag (12 laps)

• Notes: I like the single db presses and overhead carries in place of a sandbag, but as it gets heavier it's definitely a little bit sketchy since the weights on the end are round. Carrying it overhead is a little unstable in the hands but not exactly in a good way. Enjoyed the reverse drags today at a heavier weight. Need a longer distance drag to make them really punishing though.

Pause squat, openers, floor press, triceps, sled conditioning

1300

1) row 500m, pawu

2) pause squat to heavy 5 (3s pause) - 40,60,80,100,102.5kg

3) openers
-landmine row, 20kg
-biceps opener, 3kg
-triceps opener, 3kg

4) narrow grip floor press
8 x 20,40,50,60,60kg

5) banded tricep extensions - 3x20

6) sled work - 15 yd trips
*reverse drag + low push (x3 each w. no rest)
+20,40,40,60,60kg

*rope pull + low push @ +40kg
amrap in 4 minutes: 6 rounds completed

• Notes: Added a little bit more to the squat today. Did most of it barefoot which felt surprisingly good. Tried out a new combo with the reverse drag and push on the sled. The pulls are easy but the combo of doing both fried my legs. As always, the rope pulls were rough.

Row, step ups, plyos, dip/roll, overhead carries

1200

1) w/u
1000m row
pawu

2) barbell step ups, to parallel - 6 steps each leg
12 x 20,40,50,50,60,60kg

3) plyos - 3 rounds
5 x shin hops
med ball plyo circuit x 25 reps

4) 4 rounds
10 x ab wheels
max hold ring support

5) overhead carries, 30kg DB
3 times thru the following cycle:
4 x 1 press + 15 yd overhead carry

• Notes: Getting back into a groove now. Felt good to get some stepping in. Starting to include some regular "finishers" thru either carries or sled work at the end. Shoulders are feeling really good.
• Body: Very sore...upper back, calves, and forearms mostly. Those rope pulls are great. Been extremely sore mostly due to lack of training consistency.

Pulls, RDLs, db bench, squat carries, rope pulls

1300

1) pawu

2) clean regression
power clean + clean extension + clean deadlift (2+2+2)
40,50,60,70,80kg

3) RDLs - 5x5x60kg, slow cadence rotation focus

4) DB bench - 12,12,10,10 (15,20,22.5,22.5kg)

5) biceps/triceps openers 3kg

6) 8 minute amrap w. 16 kg kettlebell
5 x goblet squat
50 yd carry (alternate goblet, single arm farmer R, single arm farmer L)

score - 10 rounds

7) rope pull + sled push (20 yds each way)
2 x +20,30,40,40kg

*rope pull down, sled push back x 2 at each weight

Field work, hill sprints

1200

1) pawu

2) 3 rounds:
50 yd walking lunges
50 yd bear crawl
15 x strict pushups

3) hill sprints, max incline
15 seconds max effort, walk down recovery
x 4 rounds

• Notes: Played around with the bear crawl to try to replicate the hinge. Definitely got some hamstring fatigue. Tweaked some pushup technique as well to play with julian's torque ideas. Makes sense, and feels natural to think of the pushup as a punch with internal rotation. Hill sprints were all about intensity. Went as hard as humanly possible for as many sets as I could without resting more...only made it 4 rounds. The hills in queenstown are brutally steep and this got me feeling pukey for sure. 

Pause squat, openers, rows, prowler, rope pulls

1) upper body med ball plyo circuit 2x50
2) pawu
3) back squat to heavy 5 rep w. 3 sec pause
60,60,90,90,100 kg
4) bicep and triceps openers - 2 cycles at 3kg dbs
5) barbell rows - 10 x 50,50,60,60 kg
6) prowler sprints - 40s max effort/40 seconds rest
+40 kg sled, 50 ft turn arounds
7) rope sled pulls - 5 x 50 ft pulls, +20 kg sled
8) single arm kb waiter carries, 16 kg
4 trips each arm

I sprints, jumps/pushups, band work

Workouts have and will be spotty from here on - living in queenstown and looking into local gyms. In the mean time, lots of field work.

1400

1) pawu

2) intensity sprints - 100 yds
4 x barefoot accelerations
3 x max sprints (14:01 best time)

3) broad jump/pushup 100 yd cycle
broad jump 10 yds
10 x pushups

repeat 10 times as fast as possible

4) 3 rounds:
30 x purple band seated rows (10 x double arm/10 x L arm/10 x R arm)
20 x overhead tricep extensions, light band
10 yd crab walk

• Notes: Lots of hiking in the routine lately with very little strength/mobility work. Now that we are slightly more settled with a place to live hopefully I can get back into some more consistent work. Mobility could use some help especially. Plan to do lots of sprinting and basic upper body band work.

D - DB circuit, carries, horizontal work

1700

1) warmup - lunge twists, plank leg lifts, bicep and tricep openers (10 and 5# respectively)

2) DB circuit - 6 squat/6 step ups/6 hang muscle cleans/6 squats
20,30,40,40,40#

3) 3 rounds:
2 x 30 yd waiter carry each arm, 30#
5 x single arm deadlift each arm, 30#

4) bicep and tricep openers, 10 and 5#

5) horizontal pull/push
max reps supinated bent over rows, 95# - 24
max reps pushups - 34

*No rest between exercises - only 1 warmup set allowed

• Notes: Random unstructured workouts continue. Feels pretty good to improv it though. Really working on the shoulder openers from Julian, especially that tricep opener, which my shoulder does not like very much. 5lb is the max for me on that, but I really feel that both of them are helping. Like the push/pull as a quick burnout finisher and would like to work up to 135# on the rows and a weighted back on the pushups.

C - stair sprints

Saturday
1700

1) work up to max speed stair sprints
~100 yd section

Sunday
1000

1) trunk - 3 rounds
60 seconds deadbug iso
5 x captain morgans w/ 10# R
5 x captain morgans w/ 10# L
10 x get up situps + 10 floor press, 20kg

B - squats, press, grip

1400

1) deadbugs, empty bar squats

2) safety bar squat to 5rm
2x5x165
2x5x215
2x5x235
2x5x255#

3) julian tricep opener, 8# db's

4) 5 rounds:
10 x bar dips
10 x empty bar press

5) grip work - plate tosses, 25#

• Notes: First time doing safety bar squats, really liked it.
• Body: Hammies and adductors very sore from yesterday.

A - carries, lunges, and accessory

Long car ride the other day - trying to get unfucked from it

1) pawu

2) 3 rounds:
30 yds single arm walking lunges w/ high kick, 30# DB
20 x DB bench, 30#

3) 3 rounds:
30 yd waiter carry, 30#
5 x single arm DB RDL, 30#

4) 3 rounds:
100 yd single arm farmer carry, 20kg
5 x KB cleans, 20kg

5) strongfit bicep opener, 10#

6) plank leg lifts

D - jog, trunk work, jacked street

0900

1) warmup: 2 mile jog ascent to panorama point

2) 5 rounds:
primal getup complex L, 25#
primal getup complex R, 25#
20 x hollow rocks

3) 3 rounds:
20 x kneeling clapping pushups
10 x single arm bent over kb row L/R, 53#
20 x banded overhead tri extensions, light band

• Notes: Short one today to get moving and do some upper body. 
• Body: Feel great after those sprints yesterday.

C - intensity sprints, trunk

1600

1) warmup: sprint prep

2) sprints in grass w/ hill last 40 yds
2 x 100 yds
2 x 80 yds
2 x 60 yds
2 x 40 yds

*max intensity, full recovery in between

3) cool down walk

4) trunk: 3 rounds
30 seconds get up situp R, 20#
30 seconds get up situp L, 20#
30 seconds side pillar w/ reach R
30 seconds side pillar w/ reach L

• Notes: Good sprint session today. Felt strong and smooth. Took me a while to recover in between each rep.
• Body: Legs were a little sore today.

B - hang power cleans, clean pulls, horizontal push/pull

1600

1) warmup: pawu

2) hang power clean - 5x2 to max
155,175,185,195,205#

3) clean pull from blocks
5 x 185,185#
5 x 225,225#

4) 10 minute amrap:
10 x trx supine rows
10 x true pushups

5) shoulder socket mob, 30# DB

• Notes: Felt decent today on the pulls. Last set was a little ugly but it was fine.
• Body: Shoulder feeling a little bit better. Hamstrings and glutes are sore.

A - back squat, press work, lowers conditioning

0730

1) warmup: pawu

2) back squat 3x10 to max - 185,215,245# (for 11 reps)

3) empty bar push presses - 5x10

4) 5 rounds:
10 x bulgarian split squats (40,50,60,60,60#)
5 x shin hops
20 x low box plyo skiers

• Notes: PR on my 10rm back squat I'm pretty sure. Did an extra rep because I lost cost, but after watching the video I actually did 11. Felt really solid, pretty sure I could do 260# for 10. Stuck with the bar for push presses since the shoulder has been wonky.
• Body: Good. Probably my last week of consistent training for a long time, as we are leaving the country fairly soon here.

B - weighted lunges, farmer carries

1600

1) weighted walking lunges - 25 yds each trip, with weight vest
weight vest only
heavy bag shoulder carry
heavy bag chest carry
single arm kb carry, 35#
single arm kb carry, 53#

2) farmer carries - 2x45#
3 x 120 yd carry

• Notes: Tweaked my left shoulder yesterday deadlifting, of all things. Think it has just been stressed lately and this was just the last straw. Had some pretty bad pain and nervy sensation down my trap and front delt. Giving it some time to recover.

A - handstands, back squat, lowers conditioning

1700

1) hip circle

2) handstand practice - weight transfers, facing wall, against wall, flutter kicks, wall climbs

3) back squat to 2rm - 215,245,265,285,305#(pr)
*belt and sleeves

4) 15-12-9 for time:
back squat, 185#
dynamic pushups

time - 8:50

• Notes: PR on my back squat double. 2nd rep was a little slow but mostly held it together. I am still going a little bit too deep but I kept my chest up much better and didn't lose back position. Metcon was dirty.
• Body: Good.

E - sprint conditioning, jacked street

1700

1) warmup: sprint prep, 400m jog

2) 10 rounds for time:
sprint 100 yds
10 x kb swings, 53#

18:47

3) jacked street: 5 rounds, as little rest as possible
10 x hammer curls, 30#
10 x DB hex press, 45#
max reps banded tri extensions

• Notes: The sprints absolutely smoked me. Lungs haven't been challenged in a while and I felt it pretty badly. Took a solid 10 minutes to wallow before starting the accessory work.
• Body: Upper body still pretty sore. Legs feeling much more recovered, though my hammies are tight.

D - step ups, bench

1700

1) warmup: banded good mornings w. hip circle

2) barbell step ups to heavy 20, 18" box
45,75,95,115#

3) close grip bench to 5rm - 95,135,145,155,165#
*crab position holds between each

• Notes: Long day, so cut this one a little short and going to do the conditioning piece tomorrow.
• Body: Traps and upper back are super sore.

C - RDL, power clean ladder, weighted pulls

0730

1) warmup: 5 minute spin bike

2) RDL to heavy 5 - 95,135,165,185,205,225#

3) power clean - ascending ladder w. 60s rest between each set (short rest times)
2 x 135,145,155,165,175,185,195,205(x)

4) weighted chinups - 7 x 25,35#

5) bachar ladder - 1 traverse

• Notes: Decided to go with RDLs today instead of a full lift from the floor. Power cleans felt good, but the short rest made it a little tougher. 195 actually felt really good, then I just couldn't get my elbows around 205. Could have kept going, but I think the idea of this is to cut it when you miss/start getting sloppy so I did.
• Body: Legs are tired and sore. Knees are a little achy too.

B - active recovery, trunk and accessory work

1700

1) 5 rounds:
10 x hollow rocks
10 x med ball to toes, 8#
10 x get up situp, 30# (5L/5R)

2) 3 rounds:
30 yd cocky walk
30 seconds rice bucket, max intensity

• Notes: Very sore from yesterday and didn't get much sleep, so I pushed today's workout back and just got a little movement in after work. Deadlifts and cleans tomorrow.
• Body: Posterior chain is very sore.

A - back squat, press, sprint

1400

1) warmup: deadbugs, lunge twist combo, overhead squats, hip circle, band good mornings

2) back squat to 5rm - 135,185,215,245,265,275#(pr)
max reps @ 80% (225#) - 12 reps

3) press to 2rm - 95,105,115,125,130#

4) sprints - 7x50 yd accelerations

5) cooldown stretch

• Notes: PR on my 5 rep back squat. Felt really solid, though I think I was focusing too much on sitting back on the last set and lost my back a little bit. Sprints felt awesome as well, so this was a really good day.
• Body: Feeling good after some rest this weekend.

C - lowers plyos and conditioning, uppers assistance

1600

1) warmup: deadbugs, banded hamstring resistance, planks, lunge twist combo, see saw walks

2) 8 rounds:
5 x DB box jumps (18") - 10,15,20,25,30,35,40,45#
2 x 5/10/5 drill
60s spin bike
*shoot for best weight box jump

3) scap presses - 3x10x20#

4) 5 rounds, no rest
10 x bar dips
10 x ab wheels

B - push press, upper conditioning

0730

1) warmup: 3x 10 strict press/60s deadbug

2) push press to 5rm - 95, 115, 125, 135#

3) 5 rounds:
10 x wall handstand flutter kicks
10 x med ball to toes, 8#
12 x trx supine rows

4) 3 rounds:
10 x hammer curls, 35#
20 x band tricep extensions
shoulder mobility (crab holds, trap smash, ect.)

• Notes: Haven't gone heavy in the push press in a while since it has been aggravating the shoulder, but today was fine. Still got a little bit of discomfort but nothing like it used to be.
• Body: Wrecked from the deadlifts yesterday. Hamstrings and low back are the worst, but I'm tender all the way up my back into my lats and traps as well. Feels great, but also revealing on how not pulling regularly anymore has detrained me a little bit.

A - deadlift, lowers conditioning

1600

1) warmup: deadbugs, lunge twist combo

2) deadlift to 5rm - 225, 245, 275, 285, 300# (pr?)

3) 5 rounds:
3 x deadlift @ 80% (245#)
20 x plyo skiers
10 x med ball to toes

4) cooldown hamstring stretch

• Notes: Think that might be a pr for my 5rm traditional stance deadlift. I can definitely do more and left some in the tank in consideration for my hammie, but this was still pretty exciting. Hamstring feels 100%, so I think it's time to test out some sprints.
• Body: Feeling good.

D - weighted trunk conditioning

1700

1) warmup: 3 rounds
50 x med ball plyo uppers circuit, 6# ball
10 x plank sliders
cocky walks

2) 8 rounds:
Squat walkouts (90-110% of 1rm) - 255,275,295,315,325,335,345,355#
60 yd single arm farmer carry, 53#
*alternate L/R carry each round

3) 2 rounds:
bachar ladder full traverse
30 yd cocky walk

C - cleans

1700

1) warmup: lunge twist combo, deadbugs, clean warmup

2) clean pull + hang power clean + front squat (2+1+2) - build to max
95,135,155,175,185,200#

3) hang power clean + front squat (1+1)
3 x 1 x 200#

• Notes: Quick and fun today. Just building to some heavy lifts and calling it. More trunk work tomorrow.
• Body: Hip flexors and adductors are a little tight. Triceps almost back to normal.

B - uppers conditioning, assistance

0730

1) warmup: empty bar press, t spine extension, db scap protraction

2) 6 rounds:
DB incline press 20-20-15-15-10-10 (35,35,40,40,45,45#)
10 x deficit pushups
10 x trx supine rows

3) 3 rounds:
15 x rear delt flys, 10#
max bar dips (10,8,8)

• Notes: This one burned me out pretty quickly. The incline presses are my weak point. Was pretty nauseous after finishing for whatever reason. Good workout though and a good balance of upper primals.
• Body: Posterior chain is pretty sore. 

A - back squat, conditioning, ankling

1700

1) warmup: deadbugs, see saw walks, empty bar squats

2) back squat to 5rm
135, 185, 205, 225, 245, 255#

3) 6 rounds, quickly
3 x back squat @ 80% (205#)
10 x kb swings, 53#
60 seconds spin bike

4) 4 way ankling circuit

5) cooldown stretch

• Notes: Felt good to put some weight back on the bar today. Got video of 255 and it looked great. Cut it off there since it's significantly more than I have done lately.
• Body: Hip flexors are still tight and slightly sore.

D - med ball plyos, power cleans, ankling

1700

1) warmup: upper body med ball plyo circuit w. 8# ball - 3x50

2) hang power cleans
3 x 95,115
2 x 135,155,175,185
1 x 185,185,185#

3) ankling work - cocky walks and dorsiflexion stepovers
30 ft forward/backwards
30 ft side/side

• Notes: Felt really good to clean again...I have definitely missed it and need to get it back into my weekly program asap. Cleans, specifically hang cleans, are my favorite movement in the gym.
• Body: Smoked from yesterday. Especially biceps and hip flexors.

C - step up, plyos, uppers assistance

1700

1) warmup: 5 minute jump rope, deadbugs

2) barbell step ups to 12" box (5L/5R)
10 x 45,65,95,115,135,145,155#

3) plyos: 5 rounds
30 x low box lateral skiers
10 x goblet squats, 53#

4) 3 rounds w. 20# vest:
10 x bar dips
20 x plate curls, 45#

5) flutter kicks - 4x25

6) upper body soft tissue work

• Notes: Step ups felt really good. Trying a slightly different technique, more in the power athlete repertoire: wide stance, lower box, starting at least 1 foot away from the box and really pulling up and thru with my hammies. High kick thru w. balance at the top. Definitely is more of a posterior chain model of stepping. The upper body circuit was crushing me for some reason today.
• Body: Upper back is sore here and there, generally tight and needs some massage up there.

B - uppers conditioning, assistance

1500

1) warmup: 3 x 10 strict press/60s deadbug home position

2) 6 rounds:
5 x depth pushups
10 x landmine push press (5L/5R) - 55,55,60,60,65,65#
12 x russian KB swing, 53#

3) 5 rounds:
max reps DB hex press, 45# (20,18,16,13,12)
10 x band pull aparts, slow and controlled

4) soft tissue work - adductors and upper back

• Notes: Good one today. I really pushed it on the hex presses and improved significantly from the last time I did this workout. Focusing more on my shoulder and scap positioning with some warmup drills to dial in my left shoulder. The pull aparts took a lot of mental energy but felt really good. Going to try to keep these practices up.
• Body: Legs are sore - hamstrings, adductors and quads. Upper back and traps as well.

A - front squat, assistance

0730

1) warmup: pawu, see saw walk to burpee, empty bar front squats

2a) front squat to 7rm in 5 sets
135,155,175,195,205#

2b) in between each set: 10 x half kneeling DB presses (5L/5R) w. 30#

3) 3 sets:
10 x st. leg band hamstring
10 x bulgarian split squats, bodyweight

• Notes: First time front squatting in a while. Upper body was the limiting factor here as I was pretty tight in the shoulders today. Felt good at 205 though and hamstring was solid and strong.
• Body: Hamstrings are already getting pretty sore. 

Active Recovery

1200

1) 30 minute walk

2) hill sprints in the park: 6-8 reps ramping up from easy stride to quick turnover

3) primal getup complex w. 25# kb - 5 each side

• Notes: Today was an unfuck yourself day. Spent all weekend sick with a stomach bug and today I'm finally feeling back to normal. Just wanted to get some easy activity in before getting back to normal work tomorrow. Diet and fluids have been all messed up. Eating solid foods again, and I can feel my body soaking up the nutrients and feeling much better. Squatting tomorrow.

C - friday

0730

1) pawu

2) 5 rounds w. 25# vest
5 x ring pullups
10 x pushups
10 x bulgarian split squats (10L/10R)

3) 3 rounds w. 25# vest
single arm kb farmer carries, 53#
60s plank

B - upper conditioning and assistance

0730

1) warmup: tspine mobility, scap pro/retraction, presses

2) 5 rounds:

15 x DB incline bench (30,35,40,40,40#)

15 x supine trx rows

3) 3 sets:

12 x DB rear delt fly, 15#

12 x bar dips

• Notes: This one took surprisingly longer than it looks. The supine rows still burn me out so fast it was hard to recovery quickly.

A - lower body conditioning, curls

1400

1) warmup: pawu, plyo skips, box jumps, hip capsule work

2) 20 minute amrap:
5 x back squat, 185#
5 x box jumps/shin hops
60s spin bike sprint

6 rounds completed

3) 4 rounds:
15 x box squat to parallel, empty bar
15 x band hamstring curls
15 x DB curls, 25-30#

4) adductor/hamstring stretching

• Notes: Took some extra reps in the box squat to really nail down my form and focus on my hips...seemed to help a lot. Hamstring got tight for a second doing the shin hops so I switched to box jumps. I think the hops are still just slightly too explosive. 
• Body: Rested, feeling good.

D - upper body plyos, bike and skill work

1700

1) warmup: deadbugs, planks, captain morgans, lunge twist combo

2) 3 rounds:
5 way upper body med ball plyo circuit, 10#
10 x strict pullups

3) spin bike intervals:
4 x 1 minute max intensity
handstand practice in between each set

4) adductor mobility

• Notes: Quick one today. Shoulder was bugging me so I didn't do the clean and jerks that were planned. Felt good to get sweating though.
• Body: Glutes are pretty sore, little bit in the upper back as well.

C - lowers conditioning, horizontal push/pull

0730

1) warmup: deadbugs, plank, captain morgans, lunge twist combo, cocky walks

2) 5 rounds:
10 x bulgarian split squats each leg, 20# DBs
30 x low box plyo skiers
30s goblet squat hold, 53#

3) 4 rounds:
10 x close grip bench (115, 135, 145, 155#)
10 x single arm kb row, 53#

E - Active Recovery

1700

hamstring massage
banded hamstring extension
5 minute squat
roll to v-sit
heavy bag carries, shoulder and chest
single arm kb carries, 53#
bachar ladder traverse
hip circle - banded good mornings and lateral dynamic steps
knee gapping massage w. dowel

• Notes: Play day. Fun stuff.

B - upper primals volume

0730

1) warmup: 5 x 10 strict bar presses, 10 shoulder dislocates

2) 8 rounds:
20 x landmine push press (10L/10R), 25-45#
4 x depth pushups

3) 5 rounds:
max reps DB hex press, 45# (18,15,13,13,13)
10 x DB front raises, 10#

• Notes: Good day, lots of volume.
• Body: Posterior chain is sore...yay!

A - lower primals volume

0730

1) warmup: 5 minute spin bike, see walk to burpees, hip capsule mobs

2) 8 rounds: 2 minutes rest between each
8 x back squat, 135#
12 x kb swing, 35#

3) 4 rounds:
15 x banded hamstring curls, light band
10 x bulgarian split squats, bodyweight

• Notes: Got some good lightweight squat volume in today really trying to hone in my technique and get my posterior chain firing again. Went light with the swings as well and everything was pain-free. Curious to see how the hamstring feels tomorrow.

C - lowers conditioning, trunk work

1600

1) warmup: 5 minutes jump rope

2) 5 rounds:
5 x clean extensions (135,155,135,155,135#)
20 x dynamic step ups
60 seconds spin bike

3) 5 rounds for time:
10 x bar dips
10 x med ball to toes, 6#

time - 7:30

4) lateral agility drills w. hip circle

• Notes: Starting to work in some more dynamic pulls off the floor now. Keeping the weight light still. Opted for clean shapes instead of deadlifts to take a little of the load off my hamstrings. Tried doing some single leg bridges and the hammie was cramping up a bunch, so I probably fatigued it pretty well.
• Body: Feeling great. Traps are slightly sore.

Active Recovery

1700

couch stretch
hang from bar
band overhead squats
single arm KB farmer carries, 53#
backwards roll to V-sit
backwards roll to pistol

• Notes: Felt great to loosen up. Ready for tomorrow.

B - uppers conditioning and assistance

0730

1) warmup: 5 rounds
10 x empty bar strict press
60 seconds deadbug hold

2) compound conditioning: 5 sets for time
18-15-12-9-6
dball push press, 50#
trx supine row, feet elevated

*strict push press, no linking together
time - 11:18

3) jacked street: 5 rounds
20-15-12-10-10
DB hex press (30,35,40,45,45)
DB front raises (5,8,8,10,10)

4) assistance: 4 rounds
10 x barbell curls, 45#
20 x banded tricep extensions

• Notes: Slow time on the conditioning. I'm pretty limited with high rep trx rows and burn out pretty quickly. Huge fan of the hex presses. Found them surprisingly difficult and they really lit my chest up...felt like I was going to tear something but not in a sketchy way. Good upper body day overall.
• Body: Hammies!

A - vertical pulls, lowers conditioning, hamstrings

0730

1) warmup: spin bike

2) vertical pulls: 3 sets
1 - max chinups (17)
2 - bachar ladder
3 - max chinups (8)

10 empty bar back squats between each

3) compound conditioning: 8 total sets, *max speed!
3 x back squat (135,135,155,155,175,175,195,195#)
20 x low box plyo skiiers

4) hamstrings: 5 sets
12 x DB RDLs, 20#
12 x banded hamstring curls

• Notes: Skwats felt great! Hamstring stuff made me really sore.

C - lower body primals and plyos

0730

1) warmup: 5 minutes spin bike, banded hamstring resistance, hip capsule mob, single leg bridges

2) 5 rounds:
20 x empty bar front squats
20 x walking lunges
10 x true pushups

3) 5 rounds:
10 x get up situps, 30# (5L/5R)
contralateral deadbugs

• Notes: Getting back into the groove. Hamstring felt really good today. Hopefully next week I can get back into some heavier loads.
• Body: Giving up caffeine for a little bit. Already feeling better in the mornings.

B - upper body push, skill work, assistance

0730

1) warmup: upper body plyo circuit w. 8# ball, bar dips (3x12), ring supports

2) floor press to 3rm
95, 135, 155, 165, 175#

3) handstand practice
-inverted straddle practice, press up practice
*need better pelvic control, and thoracic mobility!

4) 3x
20 x banded tri extension
10 x hammer curls, 30#

• Notes: Floor press felt good today but the bar was moving pretty slow. Capped it at 175. Handstands are coming along but my hips/pelvis still doesn't look good enough. Need more posterior tilt and need to open my shoulders more to get this down. Working on starting the press handstand movement as well since this is ultimately what I want to be able to do.
• Body: Hamstrings are pretty sore, mostly on the right side.

A - squat conditioning, vertical pulls, hamstrings

1600

1) warmup: 5 minutes on the spin bike, air squats

2) amrap in 15 minutes:
5 x back squat, 135#
5 x box jumps, 24"
60 seconds spin bike

4 rounds

3) 3 rounds:
bachar ladder traverse (rounds 1 and 2), max chinups (round 3 - 10 reps)
10 x banded hamstring resistance

• Notes: Felt good to get squatting again today. First time introducing some plyometrics back again as well and everything held up. Burned out quick on the ladder traverse so by the time the chinups came back around I was pretty spent.
• Body: Hamstring is feeling great all around. Been doing lots of walking, single leg bridges, banded hammies, and see saw walks. Definitely feel out of balance while I squat right now, like my right side is doing most of the work. To be expected.
• General: Switched to the Grindstone program of power athlete in an attempt to save some time due to busy work/personal life at the moment. Basically it is a toned back version of field strong with shorter workouts, 2 mandatory, 2 recommended, and 1 optional workout per week.

Lower body primals

1700

1) warmup: max chinups (16, 10), bachar ladder traverse, lunge twist w. band

2) lower body primals w. 45# bar: 3 rounds
10 x back squats
20 x step ups

3) rehab: 3 rounds
10 x single leg glute bridge
10 x band hamstring resistance

• Notes: Quick one today just to get grooving back into a squat pattern. Still a little sore from the needling yesterday but it felt good to get things stretched out and moving.

Tuesday and Wednesday

Tuesday - upper body primals
1) warmup: spin bike, band pull aparts, plyo pushups, plank scap pushups, banded hamstring resistance

2) landmine press - work up to heavy 5
25, 35, 45, 55#

3) DB bench - 3 sets w. 45#
15, 17, 18

4) gymnastics work: 3 rounds
max handstand hold
max ring support hold

Wednesday - PT and active recovery

1) spin bike, 10 minute weighted treadmill walk @ 12-13%

2) deadbugs, banded hip flexor flossing, banded hamstring resistance, overhead squat w. band

• Notes: Got my hamstring needled and massaged today and am already sore as shit. Tried to keep it loose and stretched out throughout the day. Big takeaway points from my session: strengthen my glute, open up my anterior hip, keep doing eccentric work, and try to focus on lateral hamstring rehab so I don't get medial dominant.

Upper body primals

0730

1) warmup: spin bike, kb armbars, pbar chair rockers

2) plyos: 3 x 20 kneeling clapping pushups
60 seconds rest between

3) landmine press - work up to 7rm in 3 sets
25,35,45#

4) slight incline DB bench - 3x12x45#

5) 8 minute amrap:
20 x single arm DB rows, (10L/10R) 45#
20 x chest elevated bar pushups
(180 total reps)

6) 2 rounds:
20 x band tri extensions
10 x hammer curls, 30#

• Notes: So...upper body day. Not gonna lie, by the end of this my arms were smoked. The last part called for 5 supersets of the tris and curls and I totally bitched out. All this bodybuilding stuff is way out of my wheelhouse and I'm still getting use to the upper body volume. On the positive side all of this work felt great.
• Body: Rested the hamstring today but was able to do some uppers lifts at work with no pain, as well as a bunch of active stretching. Right leg is sore and right side of my low back is a little achy.

Ankling, R leg, trunk work

0730 - no longer officially on the cast program, so it's going to be sporadic for a bit

1) warmup: spin bike, strict press, pillar to planks

2) rehab: 3 rounds thru
10 x supine hamstring curls
10 x straight leg band eccentric, light band
40 yd stool scoot

3) 3 rounds:
10 x bulgarian split squat R (20, 25, 30# DBs)
20 yd cocky walks (forward and lateral)
20 yd dorsiflexion step overs (forward and lateral)

4) trunk: 3 rounds
captain morgans L/R
60 seconds deadbug home position
60 seconds slideboard plank reaches

• Notes: Rehab work felt good today. I think progressing on the banded eccentrics are really where things are going to get better. Trying to include straight leg work, bent leg work, and a mix of ROM with this. Active stretching and light massage after.
• Body: Hamstring feels about 5/10 right now. Can walk pain-free and even jog at a slow pace. Quick movements still hurt and hinging forward at the hip feels sketchy. Going to keep this rehab routine up for this week and add some more things in next week to progress.

CAST 5.3

0930

1) warmup: spin bike, hamstring rehab, t spine work, ankling work

2) bench press - 6x3x150#

3) 3 rounds:
10 x incline DB bench, 45#
max bar dips (12, 10, 8)
bachar ladder traverse

• Notes: Uppers only today. Going to continue this program doing only the upper body work while my hamstring is healing. When possible I will also continue with R leg work.
• Body: Hamstring feeling a little better each day. Focusing on light stretching and eccentric retraining right now.

CAST 5.2

• Notes: Well, got warmed up for intensity sprints this morning, went down to the field, and pulled my left hamstring on the 3rd 50 yard sprint. I felt adequately warmed up and everything was great, but right when I really tried to hit the gas and accelerate on the 3rd one I felt the hammy pop. Bummer since I was making some good progress on my sprints and feeling faster on the lifts. Expecting this will probably be a 4-6 week thing before I am back to running fast again. 
• Plan: No activity whatsoever in my lower body in the next 2-4 days while I'm acutely healing. Heat, compression, and super light massage every day. After that some light stretches and easy isolation strengthening once it's feeling better. Then back into some compound movements and eccentrics hopefully after 2-3 weeks. In the meantime - still gonna hammer my right leg to get some crossover stimulation and work upper body and core. Been a while since I've had to go through a rehab protocol so this will be good practice.

CAST 5.1

0730

1) warmup: hang cleans, pvc ladder monkey bars, plank pushups

2) plyos: 3 rounds
10 seconds quick feet - over over back back
3 x athletic burpees
10 seconds quick feet - over over back back
3 x see-saw walk to burpee

3) back squat - 6x3 @ 240#

4) rack pull from just below knee - find 7rm (255, 275, 300#)
*no hook grip
*in between each set accumulate 100 total reverse hypers

5) trunk: 5 rounds
10 x russian twists, 8#
10 x med ball situps, 8#

• Notes: Awesome day. Still recovering from hiking La Plata this weekend so I wasn't fully firing today but every felt great. Grip was the limiter on the rack pulls - feel like I could have gone heavier if not for that.
• Body: Legs are very sore from the weekend...mostly quads, glutes, and calves.

CAST 4.4

1600

1) warmup: ring supports, walking lunges, banded tri extensions, band pull aparts, deadbugs

2) upper body plyo med ball circuit w. 6# ball
3 x 30 reps each cycle

3) landmine press - 3x5 @ 50# (90% of 3rm)

4) 3 rounds:
incline DB press, 35#
hammer curls, 35#
bar dips
true pushups
*10 reps at each OR max

5) band dislocates & overhead squats

• Notes: I am enjoying having Fridays as these shorter accessory days, because honestly I am out of gas by friday afternoon. First time doing an incline DB press probably ever. Felt very awkward for me even at this low weight. 
• Body: Legs are very sore in the posterior chain from yesterday. Have definitely noticed some hypertrophy in my upper body since starting this cycle. It seems to include far more upper body and accessory work than I am accustomed to in a given week, even though the volume is still relatively low. Good to get a change of pace though and get out of my comfort zone. 

CAST 4.3

0730

1) warmup: contralateral deadbugs, captain morgans, 4 way deadbugs

2) deadlift - 5x5x225#

3) 5 rounds:
3 x barbell jump squats (65, 85, 95, 105, 95#)
10 x bulgarian split squats (20, 20, 25, 25, 30# DBs) each side

• Notes: Quick one today to hammer the legs. Feeling really good to deadlift normally again...posterior chain is coming back. 
• Body: Still sluggish in the mornings. Everything feels good though.

CAST 4.2

0730

1) warmup: dislocates, plyo pushups, spider man lunges

2) sprint prep - high knee pulls, quad pulls, high kicks, high skips

3) intensity sprints: 6 x half gassers w. hill finish
best time - 15.31s
rest as needed

4) bench press - 5x5 @ 135#

5) 4 rounds:
max handstand hold

• Notes: The sprints really beat me down this morning. Was feeling a little sluggish before but these messed me up for a good while afterwards for whatever reason. Really tried to keep the intensity high.
• Body: Pretty fatigued today. Need to catch up on some sleep.

CAST 4.1

0730

1) warmup: tspine extension, plank pushups, bar front squats, deadbugs

2) clean warmup

3) back squat - 5x5 @ 210#
*3 x 50# dball reverse toss between each set

4) DB clean extensions - 3x10x45#
*3 x MR hamstrings between each set

5) 4 rounds:
10 x hammer curls, 35#
5 x plate pinch toss and catch, 25-35#

6) trunk: 4 rounds
30 seconds side plank R
30 seconds side plank L
60 seconds band supported deadbug

• Notes: Didn't do the power cleans today. Still recovering from a big hike yesterday but it felt good to get moving. 
• Body: Calves are sore. Legs are tired in general.

CAST 3.4

1600

1) warmup: ring supports, deadbugs, captain morgans

2) 3 rounds:

10 x dynamic pushups

20 x ring rows

3) landmine press - work up to heavy 5

25, 45, 50, 55# each arm

4) slight decline DB bench - 4x8x45#

5) tempo sprints - 8 x 100 yds, rest 60 seconds between each

75% intensity

6) volume: 3 rounds

max bar dips, no pause (15, 11, 11)

elevated bar pushups (10, 15, 20)

• Notes: Big upper body day today. I moved the tempo sprints from yesterday into today's workout since I had more time and I was smoked yesterday morning. Whenever programming calls for a vertical barbell movement I am typically substituting with either a unilateral press or handstand progression work for the sake of my shoulder. Seems to be working well.
• Body: Tired. Underfed again. Need to learn my lesson on this...

CAST 3.3

0730

1) warmup: pullups, dips, goblet squat holds, box touches, banded good mornings

2) deadlift - 7x1 @ 285# (95% of 3rm)

3) 3 rounds:
20 x walking lunges, 45# DBs
10 x single arm KB rows, 53#

CAST 3.2

0730

1) warmup: spiderman lunges, cocky walks, high knee lunges, high kicks

2) sprints: 10 rounds
5 x single leg lateral hop over, straight into 20 yd sprint

3) bench press - 7x1 @ 170# (95% of 3rm)

4) 50 x slideboard plank pushups for time - 3:52

5) LATT on spin bike
5 x 30 seconds on / 2 minutes off
*max intensity

6) bonus: 3 rounds
15 x reverse grip barbell curls, 45#
15 x banded triceps extensions

• Notes: Slideboard plank pushups....gnarly gnarly. Was supposed to do the full pushup variation but it tends to bug my shoulder so opted for the planks. Crazy core intensive. Really enjoyed this workout.
• Body: No soreness.

CAST 3.1

0730

1) warmup: plyo skips, strict chinups, pillar to plank

2) back squat - 7x1 @ 265# (95% of 3rm)
*enough rest in between to move the bar maximally fast

3) 5 rounds:
3 x shin hops
12 x DB shrugs, 45#

4) trunk work - 5 rounds:
20 seconds kb supported deadbug legs, 20#
20 seconds kb supported deadbug arms, 20#
10 x med ball situps, 8#

• Notes: Squat looked and felt good. I'm still working on dialing down the exact width that works for me in this wide stance. Really enjoyed the deadbug stuff at the end. The deadbug and all of its variations continue to impress and humble me. It cures everything.
• Body: Feeling good.

CAST - 2.3

1700

1) warmup: leg cradle lunges, pillar to plank, bar front squats, clean warmup

2) back squat - 6x3 @ 240# (85% of 3rm)
max acceleration
*3 x shin hops after each working set

3) power clean - 5x2 to max
175, 185, 195, 205 (x 2nd), 205#
*3 x hamstring resistance + pushup after each working set

4) 5 rounds for time:
10 x slam ball, 50#
20 x low box plyo skiers

time - 7:43

5) seated med ball throws - 4x15x8#

• Notes: Took video of all my lifts today just for reference. I'm still a little unsure of myself doing these wider stance squats, but everything looked good. Power cleans felt like dogshit for some reason today, and I missed the rep at 205 just do to laziness. While they looked OK on video, would like to get these feeling more consistent.
• Body: Pretty tired and beat down this week. Still feeling underfed, trying to fix that. Fun week of training though.

CAST - week 2.2

0730

1) warmup: pillars, hollow rocks, banded good mornings, bar front squats

2) deadlift - 5x3 @ 255#, moving the bar with maximum speed

3) single arm weighted high knee walking lunges w. 53# kb
3 x 10 each arm

4) tempo sprints: 9 x 100 yards @ 75%
60-90s rest between each

5) strict chinups - 3x10

• Notes: The purpose of this current program is to increase speed and power by lifting with a focus on compensatory acceleration. More simply, move the bar with maximal speed throughout the ENTIRE lift. Lighter weight, fast bar speed. I loved the high knee lunges with the kettlebell...awesome way to challenge lateral core stability.
• Body: Feeling underfed. Recently cut out both whole milk and protein supplements from my diet, still adjusting and noting differences. Need to eat more food.

Back in the saddle!

Decided to fire this baby back up again. I have been blogging on another site in the past few years, but it's time to get this original back up and going because it pumps me up.

In the past few years I have moved away from distance running and entered more of the lifting world, all the while learning a ton about both coaching and moving. Right now I have entered programming from Power Athlete with the goal of becoming a faster, stronger, more competent mover through space. No specific competitions coming up, just trying to learn about programming and getting faster.

Here are a few of the events I have done recently:

• GoRuck Heavy in Boulder
• Crossfit Roots Olympic Weightlifting Meet (1st comp for me)
• Weightlifting Club in Boulder
• Crossfit Football Coach's Seminar in Denver
• Lots of hiking, climbing, as well as dabbling in brazilian jiu jitsu

Hopefully lots of posts, pictures, competitions, and tears to come!