zen and the art of strength training

[kopp]

Tuesday April 18

Bench 215 x 5, 3, 3
Squat 3 x 3 x 270; 3 x 3 x 250
Prowler 6 x 25m x 160

I think I'm done with 3 x 5 squats for now. Switching to 3 x 3 and drop sets, with the aim to keep adding weight to the bar and getting reps with decent form.

Thursday April 20

Deadlift 1 x 365
Tire Flips: 3 x 1 minute (reps: 9,9,9)

I scheduled this session with the trainer to go over deadlift form. Main takeaway is that I should get tight at the top, when I'm standing up, and then lower myself down. I think previously I was getting tight when I had my hands on the bar and was bent over. We experimented with it a few different ways and getting tight at the top worked best for me. 365 shot up pretty easy. This was the most I've deadlifted since around 2013, and it was clear there's a lot of room left. Was a little surprised by this since I haven't deadlifted very frequently recently. Very pleased.

Saturday April 22

Squat 3 x 3 x 275; 245 x 5, 3, 3
Kettlebell Push Press 4 x 8 x 62

The most I squatted back in 2011 when I started this log was 275 (though it was 5 x 5, not 3 x 3). So next week I should move up to 280, and will be putting more weight on my back and squatting than I ever have.

Overall very happy with progress. Put together a good few weeks and making progress on all lifts. No rucking this week due to time constraints and weather.

[kopp]

Monday April 24

Ruck: 1:08; 40 pounds; Big loop

Tuesday April 25

Squat warmup (3 x 185, 205, 225, 245, 275)
Bench 215 x 5, 3; 195 x 5
Torque M1 Sled Push 10 x 25m x (level 3 + 90 pounds)

Going to reset on the bench back to 205, switch to triples. Pressing movements at this point are a sideshow. I'm focusing on the movements that will help prepare for hiking trip, so squats, deadlifts, sled work, and rucking. Played around with a Torque M1 Sled. Issue with the prowler is that its difficulty changes based on wetness and other atmospherics, which apparently affect how the sled sticks to the outdoor turf next to the gym. That makes it hard to measure progression.

TANK™ M1 Push Sled - Torque Fitness

Thursday

Squat warmup (3 x 185, 205, 225, 245, 275)
Deadlift 3 x 1 x 365
Turkish Getups

Saturday April 29

Squat 3 x 3 x 280; 3 x 3 x 255
Ruck: Big Loop (40 pounds); small loop (50 pounds); total time around 90 minutes.

Main issue moving forward is that my left foot has started hurting. I think I have plantar fasciitis. It came on about 2 weeks ago when I spent the day gardening in old shoes. Pretty painful in the morning and at night. Going to get inserts, which will hopefully address the issue.

[kopp]

Monday May 1

Squat warmup (3 x 185, 215, 215)
30 minutes of pushing / pulling with Torque M1 Sled

Had planned to bench or deadlift, but the gym was totally packed and equipment was in use.

Tuesday May 2

Squat warmup (3 x 185, 215, 235, 255)
Bench: Fail

Not sure what happened here, but shoulders and back felt terrible during the warmups. Had pain in my shoulders and back and generally felt off. Don't remember what I ended up doing, but it wasn't much. I was due for a bad workout.

Thursday May 4

Squat 3 x 3 x 285; 3 x 3 x 255
Prowler Push: 5 x 25m x 135
Prowler Pull: 5 x 25m x 135

Good day on squats. Afterwards I pushed the prowler one length of the outside turf, then hooked a harness around my waste and pulled it facing backwards the other direction. Did that for five loops. The sled felt really heavy. Not sure if it was because it'd rained the last few days, but there was an unbelievable amount of friction between the turf and the sled. My legs were torched after this.

Saturday May 6

Hike: 8 miles; 40 pounds; 3 hours 45 minutes; 1430 feet elevation, both up and down.

This was a pretty long hike along the Appalachian Trail. Hiked 4 miles, then turned around and went back. Beautiful day. I needed to get some practice hiking up and down hills to prepare for Colorado. Hiking on rough trails through elevation is a completely different experience from hiking on well paved trails that are flat. Doing hikes along the C&O canal footpath, for example, is completely different than what I did today. The last mile was around 500 feet of elevation, which left me pretty gassed. Left foot felt good, though this evening it is pretty sore. All in all feeling like I'm in a good spot to be ready for the trip.

[kopp]

Tuesday May 9

Deadlift: 3 x 1 x 375
Squat (light): 3 x 185, 225, 255, 225
Kettlebell Push Press: 10 x 62

Saturday May 13

Squat 2 x 2 x 290; 4 x 3 x 260
Farmers carries: 200 x 2 loops around gym

I had a crazy busy week at work, including traveling Wednesday and Thursday and being in court on Friday. Add in Mother's Day weekend, and not a lot of time to workout. No ruck this week. Squats were very challenging.

[kopp]

This week marks one year since I started squatting again. Wanted to put progress in one place, as well as line it up against when I did a run of squatting in 2011. Obviously made much quicker progress back then, though I was a lot younger, better able to recover, etc...

Squats from 2011 (Age 24)

1. 4/17: 95 x 5, 5, 5
2. 4/20: 115 x 5, 5, 5
3. 4/22: 135 x 5, 5, 5
4. 4/25: 155 x 5, 5, 5
5. 4/28: 165 x 5, 5, 5
6. 4/30: 175 x 5, 5, 5
7. 5/02: 185 x 5, 5, 5
8. 5/05: 195 x 5, 5, 5
9. 5/07: 205 x 5, 5, 5
10. 5/09: 210 x 5, 5, 5
11. 5/11: 215 x 5, 5, 5
12. 5/13: 220 x 5; 205 x 3, 3
13. 6/03: 155 x 5, 5, 5
14. 6/06: 175 x 5, 5, 5
15. 6/08: 185 x 5, 5, 5
16. 6/13: 195 x 5, 5, 5
17. 6/15: 200 x 5, 5, 5
18. 6/17: 205 x 5, 5, 5
19. 6/20: 210 x 5, 5, 5
20. 6/22: 215 x 5, 5, 5
21. 6/24: 220 x 5, 5, 5
22. 6/30: 225 x 5, 5, 5
23. 7/05: 230 x 5, 5, 5
24. 7/10: 235 x 5, 5, 5
25. 7/15: 240 x 5, 5; 205 x 3, 3, 3
26. 7/19: 240 x 5, 5, 5
27. 7/26: 185 x 5, 5, 10
28. 7/31: 205 x 5, 5, 12
29. 8/05: 215 x 5, 5, 13
30. 8/10: 225 x 5, 5, 11
31. 8/15: 235 x 5, 5, 10
32. 8/19: 240 x 5, 5, 10
33. 8/25: 245 x 5, 5, 8
34. 8/31: 250 x 5, 5, 8
35. 9/07: 255 x 5, 5, 8
36. 9/16: 260 x 5, 5, 6
37. 9/23: 265 x 5, 5, 5
38. 10/01: 270 x 5, 5, 5
39. 10/10: 225 x 5, 5, 20
40. 10/18: 230 x 5, 5, 8
41. 10/24: 235 x 5, 5, 14
42. 10/31: 240 x 5, 5, 11
43. 11/13: 250 x 5, 5, 11
44. 11/20: 255 x 5, 5, 8, 5
45. 11/29: 260 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 3, 3
46. 12/09: 265 x 5, 5, 3
47. 12/12: 265 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
48. 12/19: 270 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
49. 12/26: 275 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Squats in 2022-23 (Age 36)

1. 5/18: 95 x 5, 5, 5
2. 5/21: 115 x 5, 5, 5
3. 6/01: 115 x 5, 5, 5
4. 6/06:125 x 5, 5, 5
5. 6/09: 135 x 5, 5, 5
6. 6/12: 140 x 5, 5, 5
7. 6/15: 145 x 5, 5, 5
8. 6/18: 155 x 5, 5, 5
9. 6/23: 155 x 5, 5, 5
10. 6/25: 155 x 5, 5, 5, 5
11. 7/02: 165 x 5, 5, 5
12. 7/06: 165 x 5, 5, 5
13. 7/09: 165 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
14. 7/17: 175 x 5, 5, 5
15. 7/17: 175 x 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3
16. 7/21: 175 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
17. 7/24: 185 x 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
18. 7/28: 185 x 5, 5, 5, 3, 3
19. 7/31: 185 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
20. 8/05: 185 x 2, 3, 5, 2, 3, 5, 2, 3, 5
21. 8/12: 195 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
22. 8/18: 195 x 5, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
23. 8/21: 195 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
24. 8/27: 205 x 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
25. 8/30: 205 x 5, 5, 3, 3, 3
26. 9/03: 205 x 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3, 3
27. 9/09: 205 x 5, 5, 5
28. 9/11: 205 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
29. 9/19: 215 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
30. 9/24: 215 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
31. 9/28: 215 x 5, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
32. 10/2: 215 x 5, 5, 5, 5
33. 10/8: 215 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
34. 10/13: 215 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
35. 10/19: 225 x 2, 2, 2, 2, 2
36. 10/23: 225 x 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3
37. 10/29: 225 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
38. 11/12: 225 x 3, 3, 3, 3
39. 11/16: 225 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
40. 11/19: 225 x 3, 3, 3
41. 12/1: 185 x 5, 5, 5
42. 12/10: 185 x 5, 5, 5, 5
43. 12/14: 185 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
44. 12/22: 190 x 5, 5, 5
45. 12/27: 190 x 5, 5, 5, 5, 5
46. 01/03: 195 x 5, 5, 5
47. 1/07: 200 x 5, 5, 5
48. 1/10: 205 x 5, 5, 5
49. 1/14: 210 x 5, 5, 5
50. 1/18: 215 x 5, 5, 5
51. 1/22: 220 x 5, 5, 5
52. 1/25: 225 x 5, 5, 5
53. 1/28: 230 x 5, 5, 5
54. 2/03: 235 x 5, 5, 5
55. 2/05: 240 x 5, 5, 5
56. 2/08: 245 x 5, 5, 5
57. 2/14: 250 x 5
58. 2/17: 250 x 5, 5, 5
59. 2/24: 255 x 5; 230 x 5, 5
60. 3/02: 230 x 5, 5
61. 3/08: 235 x 5, 5, 5
62. 3/12: 240 x 5, 3; 225 x 3, 3, 3
63. 3/20: 240 x 5, 5, 5
64. 3/25: 245 x 5, 5, 5
65. 3/28: 250 x 5, 5, 5
66. 4/01: 255 x 5, 5, 5
67. 4/07: 260 x 5, 5, 5
68. 4/13: 265 x 5, 2, 2
69. 4/15: 265 x 5; 245 x 3, 3, 3, 3, 3
70. 4/18: 270 x 3, 3, 3; 250 x 3, 3, 3
71. 4/22: 275 x 3, 3, 3; 245 x 5, 3, 3
72. 4/29: 280 x 3, 3, 3; 255 x 3, 3, 3
73. 5/04: 285 x 3, 3, 3; 255 x 3, 3, 3
74. 5/13: 290 x 2, 2; 260 x 3, 3, 3, 3

[kopp]

Monday May 15

Squat Warmup: 3 x 185, 205, 225, 245, 275
Deadlift 1 x 385, 3 x 335
Prowler: 30 minutes

On the prowler, did a pyramid where I added weight after each set. Top set had 205 pounds, on top of whatever the sled weighs. Would push it one direction, then pull it backwards the other direction.

Wednesday May 17

Workout Fail

Had planned to squat, but was not recovered from Monday, slept poorly, and had a very long and challenging day at work.

Saturday May 20

Hike: 10+ miles, 40 pounds 1,800 feet elevation both up and down.

Along the AT, the same portion of the trail I did on May 6. I hit the turnaround point from May 6, then went an additional 40 minutes farther. I'm not sure how far the extra portion was since there weren't any landmarks. My feet hurt, but otherwise I felt really good. My legs felt much better on the inclines and declines than previously. Feeling fairly stiff the following day.

[kopp]

Tuesday May 23

Squat 5 x 5 x 225
Weighted Carries

Friday May 26

Squat 3 x 5 x 235
Prowler

Saturday May 27

Hike: Big loop, trail weight

Sunday May 28

Squat warmup: 3 x 185, 205, 225, 250, 275
Deadlift 3 x 3 x 275
Kettlebell Press 3 x 12 x 53

My trip to Colorado, training for which has been my focus for 2023, is in less than 2 weeks. I think I am in pretty good shape for the trip, feeling confident. My main goals between now and then, in order of importance: 1) don't get hurt; 2) make sure gear is set; 3) don't detrain.

To points 1 & 3, I took it pretty easy in the gym this week (though I was pretty sore after Monday's 5 x 5 squats). To point 2, I've now bought all my gear and Saturday did my first hike with the pack I'll be taking, and the full complement of stuff. It is lighter than the 40 pound ruck I've been training with. And the hiking pack puts almost all the weight on the hips, as where the goruck sack was about 80% shoulders. So the backpacking pack feels much lighter.

On the recovery front, this week was brutal. I worked very long days Tuesday through Friday, essentially chained to my desk from dawn to dusk, except when I was able to escape for the above two quick workouts. To make matters worse, my four year old got the stomach bug and was up all night on Wednesday and Thursday. I may have gotten 3 hours of sleep on Wednesday, and not much better on Thursday. But we got through it, so all good.

[kopp]

Thursday June 1

Kettlebell Press: 5 x (1,2,3,4) x 60

Monday through Wednesday I was slammed at work, with no opportunity to get away for a lift. I had planned to squat on Thursday, but there was a power outage in our town and the gym was closed. Decided to do presses in the driveway so I didn't go four days without physical activity.

Friday June 2

Squat Warmup: 3 x 185, 205, 225, 245, 255
Prowler Push: 6 x 25m x 125
Prowler Pull: 6 x 25m x 125

Sunday June 4

Hike: 1 big loop, trail weight
Squat 3 x 5 x 225

This will be my last lift for the next two weeks. On Wednesday I'm flying out to Colorado for a backcountry hiking trip, which is what I've been training for this year. The last two weeks have just been focused on getting my gear set, not detraining, and not getting hurt. Not pushing the envelope. After the trip I'm going to take a week off with no training, then do a big reset, and roll into the back half of the year.

[kopp]

From Thursday morning through Saturday afternoon I was on a hiking trip with two friends through the Lost Creek Wilderness in Colorado. Training for the trip has been my main focus of 2023. We hiked 34 miles and did about 4000 feet of elevation, both up and down. I felt about as well prepared as I could have been. From a fitness perspective, I was very pleased. Although I was pretty tired, especially on the last day's hike, I had limited soreness or joint pain, no blisters, and felt like the physical requirements were all well within what I was capable of. So, primary goal for the first half of 2023 was accomplished.

[kopp]

Sunday June 11 - Saturday June 17

OFF