zen and the art of strength training

[kopp]

Wednesday June 19

Sled Drag 20 minutes x 160

Early morning on the outdoor turf.

Thursday June 20

Ruck: 50 pounds, 3.7 miles, 17:22 pace

Late afternoon, extremely hot (93 degrees) and humid.

Friday June 21

Sled Drag 1600m x 160

Early morning back and forth along the access road behind the gym. According to my phone, this was actually 1.14 miles.

Sunday June 23

Ruck: 40 pounds, 10 miles

The first 8 miles were at a 16:00 average pace. The 8th mile I ran out of water, which was a problem because it was extremely hot (90+) and the last section is mostly in the sun. I decided to slow way down, rest as needed, stop to pick some wild raspberries, and generally try to get through the end without a heat stroke. Unless there are some cooler days, I'm probably done with long rucks. I will do some shorter, heavier rucks, but the risk/reward of doing 2.5 hour + hikes in 90+ degree weather isn't worth it. I think I can still be prepared for the hiking trip without pushing the long hikes.

No headaches this week. I went to the doctor on Tuesday for a normal checkup and there didn't appear to be anything wrong. I'm getting an MRI on Friday just to make sure that there isn't something wrong with my head.

[kopp]

Tuesday June 25

Sled Push 10 x 40m x 180/205

First half of the workout pushed with 180, then added a 25 pound plate for the back half. The weight doesn't include the weight of the sled. Total time was just under 20 minutes.

Thursday June 27

Sled Push/Drag 10 x 40m x 225

This was on the indoor turf at the gym. Pushed the weight 20m one way, then used a harness to pull it the other direction. Total time was around 21 minutes.

Friday June 28

Ruck: 50 pounds, 3.8 miles

It was a really nice morning, in the high 60s, low 70s. Did this at an easy pace, between 17 and 17:30 per mile. Listed weight is the plates in the goruck pack, doesn't include 2L water.

Saturday June 29

Sled Drag 800m x 180

Early morning, calves were on fire. Could have done more but had limited workout window.

No headaches this week. I got an MRI on Friday, and should learn in the next few days if the headaches were cause for alarm. Assuming the MRI comes back normal, I should start reincorporating barbell lifts back into routine next week. One of the trainers at the gym said that he's trained a couple of people who got headaches doing the leg press, which is when my headaches showed up for the first time. I wonder if it is related; either way won't be doing leg presses any time soon. All in all I feel like I've made the best of the situation, and am confident I'll be in shape for the hiking trip in 2 weeks, which was the main thing I've been training toward.

[kopp]

Tuesday July 2

Sled Drag 1600m x 180 pounds

This took around 40 minutes and was one of my goals prior to the hiking trip.

Wednesday July 3

Ruck: 2.7 miles, 50 pounds
Barbell Row 3 x 8 x 175

Short morning ruck followed by rows. This was my first time touching a barbell in a few weeks. Felt good.

Friday July 5

Deadlift 5 x 1 x 365
5 rounds:
Sled Push 20m x 225
Sled Pull 20m x 225
Suitcase Carry 40m x 70

First time deadlifting in over a month, and this was mostly to feel out the movement. I felt pretty good, but decided not to push it. After the fifth round on the conditioning, my back/obliques were feeling a little off, so I decided to call it quits after 5 rounds rather than push it. I think it was due to the suitcase carries, which I've never done before.

Saturday July 6

Swim 30 minutes

I am considering adding swimming once a week as aerobic work, at least until the weather cools off enough to add long rucks back in. My shoulders were really sore today.

No headaches this week. I got the MRI results back and my head looks normal, so cleared to start lifting again. I am probably going to stay away from benching, which seems to be a headache trigger. But should squat/deadlift/row this week. I am hiking the Maroon Bells Four Pass Loop in Colorado from July 18-20. Preparing for the trip has been the focus of the last few weeks/months. I'll train hard this week, take the first half of next week off, and then should be good to go. On home front - wife has been sick, kids have lice. Trying to manage the family while training and doing enough work not to get fired has been a challenge.

[kopp]

Monday July 8

Sled Push/Pull 10 x 40m x 225

Took 20 minutes. Pushed one way (20m), pulled the other way. The sled pulls were backwards. The listed weight doesn't include weight of the sled. My legs were jelly after this and I was pretty winded. The purpose here was to continue working on conditioning and local muscular endurance in my legs.

Tuesday July 9

Barbell Row 1 x 8 x 180

I had a very narrow window to workout before work, about 20 minutes. I only did one set because my lower back and hips felt terrible. This is the first time I've tweaked my lower back doing this exercise. I think it was the result of rushing the warmups, and generally being rushed and distracted. Fail of a workout.

Wednesday July 10

Sled Drag 1.15mi x 135 (35 minutes)

This included six sets up and down the slight hill along the access road behind the gym. The purpose of this workout was to work on leg endurance and conditioning, and to do something that didn't fatigue the lower back. One thing I've been worried about is that I haven't done any hills, and the hiking trip next week will feature 7000+ feet of elevation gain. I tried to address this by dragging a sled up a modest incline near the gym.

Friday July 12

Deadlift 20 x 1 x 315

Took around 16 minutes. All were double overhand. Would do a single, count to twenty, get set and go again. These all felt really good. I think the bar speed was pretty consistent, no grinders. I felt perfectly fine afterwards, and did 10-15 minutes of stretching and hip mobility work. I was pretty sore the next day though, especially in my upper back. The purpose of this workout was just to get in some quality reps. I didn't want to push it too hard since my low back was still feeling off, though it actually felt solid during the lift.

Saturday July 13

Swim:
6 x 25 yds (on the minute)
6 x 50 yds (every 90s)
6 x 25 yds (on the minute)
6 x 50 yds (every 90x)
6 x 25 yds (on the minute)

I'm not a great (or even good) swimmer, but I am enjoying this. My heart rate was pretty elevated, especially during the 50 yard swims.

This was my last week of training for the hiking trip next week. I feel pretty confident that fitness won't be the limiting factor.