zen and the art of strength training

[kopp]

Monday October 21 (BW: 228)

Squat 1 x 355 (PR)
SSB 3 x 5 x 205
Sled Push 6 x 40m x 250 (13:00)
Sled Drag / Backward Pull

Bodyweight is at an all-time high. I've gained at least 6 pounds since hiking the Maroon Bells trail over the summer.

Wednesday October 23

Squat 1 x 335
SSB 3 x 5 x 215
Sled Drag / Backwards Pull
Echo Bike 5 x 30s/30s

Our gym added Rogue Echo Bikes, and I did some sprints as a finisher. I'd go hard for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds. I tried to get up to 500 Watts and stay above that output. Pretty wiped afterwards. I'm considering adding these in at the end periodically, especially if the sleds are being used by other gym members.

Friday October 25

Squat 1 x 335
SSB 3 x 5 x 225
Walk 3 miles

My arms are feeling much better, they didn't hurt at all this week. In addition to switching to the SSB for the volume work, I also moved my grip in on the straight bar when doing singles, which may have helped. Because I'm still getting used to the SSB, this was basically a light week. My body is feeling really good. I am planning to push pretty hard the next three weeks before taking a week off to go to Mexico. Focus will be on squatting, both straight bar and SSB, deadlifting, and heavy sled work. Given how well 355 moved on Monday, I shouldn't have any issue hitting 365 in the next week or two. In addition to what is written above, went for a longish (3-4 mile) walk on Tuesday.

[kopp]

Sunday October 27

Squat 1 x 360 (PR), 1 x 365 (PR)
SSB 3 x 5 x 230
Sled Push 5 x 20m x 295
Backward Sled Pull 3 x 40m x 160

The squat PR was originally my goal for the end of the year, and then it was my goal to reach by November 17, when we leave for vacation. My brother was in town and when the 360 moved well, we agreed I could definitely get 365. I think my true max is probably above 385.

Wednesday October 30

Squat 3 x 1 x 335
SSB 3 x 5 x 235
Deadlift 15 x 1 x 375 (14:20)
Echo Bike 5 x 30s/30s

Deadlifts were all double overhand hook grip. They were much improved over last time. I focused on keeping the bar close to my body, pulling the slack out of the bar, and moving my shoulders and hips at the same time. My upper back was sore the next day, but my lower back felt totally fine.

Friday November 1

Squat 3 x 1 x 335, 1 x 5 x 290 (5 rep PR)
SSB 3 x 5 x 240
Suitcase Carry 5 x 20m x 70 (distance is each hand)

I felt extremely stiff and almost decided to give myself another day of rest. The squats actually felt really good. After hitting the top singles, I decided to go for sets of 5 with 5 pounds more than what I used a few weeks ago. After the first set my upper arms were hurting, which is why I then switched over to the SSB. Still, this was a 5 rep PR. After squats I wanted to do something else, but the sled was in use and I couldn't bring myself to do intervals on the bike. The carries were not particularly challenging, but decided not to push it since first time doing this movement, at least recently.

Sunday November 3

Sled Push 7 x 40m x 250 (13:15)
Squat 1 x 315

I was feeling pretty beat up and so decided to take a lighter day, focus on pushing the sled and getting ready to push hard the next two weeks. My wife and kids all have pneumonia. I feel fine but I'm guessing my immune system is battling this as well, which is why I'm not feeling 100%. Furthermore, the kids have been up at night coughing, and I've had to take all middle-of-night duties since wife is sick. So not great sleep. I think I succeeded in moving my body, working out some kinks, and leaving the gym feeling better than when i walked in.

In addition to what is outlined above, I swam for 40 minutes on Monday and Thursday, and hike 6 miles with 20 pounds along the Appalachian Trail on Tuesday. It was perfect hiking weather in the mid-50s, and great Fall colors. All things considered I'm feeling really good.

[kopp]

Tuesday November 5

Squat 5 x 1 x 335
Deadlift 15 x 1 x 385 (Goal)
Sled Pull / Backwards Drag

The deadlifts were all double overhand hook grip, completed in 13:30, so a little faster than one a minute. All felt solid. This was another goal reached for this cycle.

Thursday November 7

Squat 5 x 1 x 335
SSB 3 x 5 x 245
Suitcase Carry

The suitcase carries were with 70 pounds, I didn't track distance. This was a check-the-box workout.

Sunday November 10

Squat 5 x 1 x 335, 1 x 5 x 295 (PR)
SSB 3 x 5 x 245
Echo Bike 3 x 30s/30s

Good five rep on the squats. On the bike, after the third set I got really bad stitches in my sides, so decided to call it at that point.

In addition to the above, I went for a longish (2-3 mile) walk on Wednesday and swam 1600 yards on Friday. For the swim, I rotated between breast and freestyle, and tried to keep breaks at a minimum. Felt pretty good throughout the swim. On Saturday I felt sort of sick, completely exhausted, and was worried that the sickness that has taken my family out the last two weeks finally got me. I went to bed at 8 pm on Saturday night, slept for 10+ hours, and felt good Sunday.

I purchased a 200 pound Rogue sandbag, which I've filled with around 140 pounds worth of sand. Our gym got rid of their sandbags (they belonged to a trainer who took them home). I may start trying to add in sandbag-over-bar or sandbag carries. I'd like to eventually get to the point I can manhandle a 200 pound bag no problem.

[kopp]

Tuesday November 12

Squat 3 x 1 x 340
Deadlift 5 x 1 x 385
Sled Push 12 x 20m x 295
Suitcase Carries

The deadlifts felt extremely slow and heavy, so I did five good singles and called it. On the sled pushes, I took plenty of rest between sets and push hard, trying to focus on strength as opposed to endurance. I used 80 pounds on the carries, which was significantly more taxing than using 70 pounds. My mid-back was sore the next day, which I attribute to the carries.

Friday November 15

Squat 3 x 1 x 340
SSB 1 x 3 x 250
Leg Press 5 x 8 x 275

This was a fail of a lift for both physical and mental reasons. On the physical side, my left knee started hurting during the SSB squat, just generally feeling unstable, and I decided not to push it. On the mental side, I saw a friend of mine at the gym at the beginning of the lift. He told me that a mutual acquaintance of ours, a guy about my age with similarly young kids, had killed himself earlier in the week. The full story was horrific, and I was pretty much mentally out of it the rest of the morning. I decided to do some leg presses since they are not very technical and you can just push without a lot of thinking.

Sunday November 17

Squat 1 x 340, 1 x 5 x 300 (PR)
RDL 2 x 8 x 155
Leg Press 5 x 9 x 275

This was the last lift before taking a week off in the Caribbean. Ended with a solid 5 rep PR on the back squat. All in all, I'm pretty happy with the last few months. My two main goals were to squat 365 and to deadlift 15 singles at 385 on-the-minute, both of which I accomplished. I'm still considering what the next 8-12 weeks will be like after I get back from vacation, but as of now I'm thinking of significantly switching up the movements. I'm feeling pretty beat up on squats in particular, and have seen my motivation to go the gym drop the last week or two. I may try and focus on trap bar deadlifts, RDL, leg presses, and then add back in pressing movements, which I've totally neglected the last few months. We'll see.

In addition to the above, I swam 1700 yards on Monday and then walked about 5 miles in the afternoon. On Wednesday I swam 1800 yards. This week, other than staying up late to watch the Mike Tyson fight, I got 8+ hours of sleep consistently.

[kopp]

Monday November 18 - Friday November 22

My wife and I spent the week at an all-inclusive in the Dominican Republic. We had initially planned to go to Cancun, but changed destinations in light of Hurricane Sara. I had initially planned to take the whole week off, but got pretty bored after two days, and my body started feeling gross from too much food/drinking/sitting. The resort had a pretty nice gym, so I did some lighter lifting on Wednesday and Thursday. My main complaint was that the resort wouldn't let us swim in the ocean because the waves were too rough. It was torture being that close to the ocean but not able to get in. If we go to the Caribbean again, will make sure to go somewhere with a swimmable beach.

Wednesday November 20 - Easy Vacation Lift

Barbell Row 3 x 8 x 175
3 rounds: Bench Press / Cable Rows / Goblet Squat

Thursday November 21 - Easy Vacation Lift

Trap Bar Deadlift 2 x 5 x 315
Shrugs 2 x 10 x 135

Saturday November 23

Trap Bar Deadlift 3 x 5 x 315
Barbell Row 3 x 8 x 175
Leg Press 4 x 8 x 295
Cable Row 3 x 10 x 120

Sunday November 24

Bench Press 3 x 5 x 155
Kettlebell Press 3 x 10 x 35
Pec Dec 2 x 10 x 75
Tricep Pushdown 2 x 10 x 50

This was an easy week. I haven't pressed anything since the summer, so decided to go extra light on these. Introduced a lot of movements I haven't done in a while, mostly on the lighter side. I'm still thinking through what I'd like the rest of the year and 2025 to look like. I have focused almost exclusively on squatting and deadlifting since summer, and so the one thing I'm sure of is that for at least a few months I'd like to do a wider variety of exercises.

[kopp]

Tuesday November 26

Barbell Row (Pronated) 3 x 8 x 180
Barbell Row (Supinated) 3 x 8 x 135
Romanian Deadlift 3 x 8 x 165
Lat Pulldown 2 x 12 x 160
Reverse Pec Dec 2 x 12 x 60
Dumbbell Curls 2 x 12 x 30

First time ever doing supinated barbell rows. I actually really liked them, could feel them throughout my entire upper back and lats. I am going to add these in as drop sets. Also first time doing reverse pec dec, which I added after seeing a video by John Meadows who stated that he did them with most of the people he trained. May add them in periodically as well.

Wednesday November 27

Bench Press 3 x 5 x 165
Kettlebell Press 3 x 12 x 35
Tricep Pushdowns 3 x 12 x 50

Friday November 29 BW 229

Trap Bar Deadlift 3 x 5 x 325
Barbell Row (Pronated) 3 x 8 x 180
Barbell Row (Supinated) 4 x 10 x 145
Leg Press 4 x 10 x 295

I really like doing the Trap Bar deadlifts. For whatever reason it feels really natural and intuitive. I did the supinated rows and the leg press as a superset, and was pretty winded by the end, even though I was taking a minute between each. I am not sure if my conditioning took a hit while on vacation, or if I'm not adapted to the higher volume, but I was pretty fatigued at the end of this. I'm at an all time high bodyweight, though not sure how much of that is just thanksgiving dinner working its way through my gut.

Saturday November 30

Bench Press 3 x 5 x 175
Kettlebell Press 3 x 10 x 44
Pec Dec 3 x 10 x 90
Tricep Pushdown 3 x 15 x 50

Good week overall. Have been getting 8+ hours of sleep pretty consistently. I go back to work on Monday after taking a sabbatical since early September, so likely that stress levels, sleep, other recovery variables will take a hit going forward. In addition to the above, I swam 1600 yards on Sunday. I finished no problem, with few stops, and I felt like my aerobic fitness was solid throughout.

[kopp]

2024 Recap

This was my fifth year of consistent training. When the pandemic started I hadn't exercised regularly in a long time. During the pandemic I started doing kettlebell swings and presses while trapped in our apartment. Joined a gym and started this blog back up in late 2021, and have been fairly consistent ever since. I still enjoy training and my body / joints feel good (for the most part).

Primary accomplishments of 2024:

1. Rucking a marathon in April;
2. Hiking the Maroon Bells Four Loop Pass in Colorado;
3. Improved Squat (2023: 1 x 330 (slow, grinder) 2024: 1 x 365 (smooth, plenty left in the tank)) and deadlift (2023: 15 x 1 x 340 (untimed) 2024: 15 x 1 x 385 (13:30)).

2025 Outline:

Goals:

1. Be in shape for annual summer hiking trip (timing and location TBD)
2. Squat 1 x 405

Plan:

December 2024 - March/April 2025: Focus on variations of the major movements, and assistance exercises. I'm going to do a wider variety of exercises than I've done recently, ideally focusing on lifting 4 days a week. This will probably break down with two back/leg days, and two pressing days. The exercise selection and rep ranges will likely look a lot like last week. I'm starting out light with higher volume and will increase gradually, decreasing volume as the weight increases. May switch out exercises periodically.

Targets: Trap Bar Deadlift 5 x 405; Bench 3 x 5 x 225; Barbell Row 3 x 5 x 225

April - August: Transition to focusing on getting ready for the hiking trip. Will come up with a more detailed plan but am likely to scale back lifting, add in weekly sled work and endurance (rucking and swimming)

Targets: May 3: Goruck Event - 12 miles; June: Ruck 15 miles with 40 pounds on flat ground; July: 3 ascents with 50 pounds along the Appalachian Trail of the hill near parent's house.

August - End of Year: Improve Squat and Deadlift. Specific strategy TBD.

Target: Squat 1 x 405; Deadlift 15 x 1 x 405 (under 15:00).