Building-Microcycle 2-Monday

Pull-up 50 reps FSAP @ 145

Bench 3 x 5

50 Wide Grip Pullups

Breakdown

Same as last week.

Thought of the day: Sometimes things are not that complicated. Specifically when you are new at something.

Let’s start with the proven basics and go from there.

Building-Microcycle 1-Sunday

1 Hour swim

Breakdown

I might also do an 8 mile run, but we’ll see if I have time.

Thought of the day: There is a serious lack of understanding of athletics in this country. And, it’s largely caused by fitness professionals themselves.

You might argue that this doesn’t matter as long as clients and athletes are happy, except for the fact that if you are a member of the fitness profession, you should want to empower people with the ability to control their own health.

That’s why you’re paid, to help create long term solutions. And like with all things, if you want results, you can’t just be tacitly involved. You have to be committed.

Building-Microcycle 1- Saturday

1 hour of cardio.

Breakdown

Same as last week.

They’re is a good chance that’ll do more then this, but we’ll see.

Thought of the day: As I’ve talked about in numerous articles, pain and injury is not a get out of jail free card.

In fact, if you do have one of those and you aren’t a fan of chronic pain, you need to train.

Bodies are designed to heal while operating, and often times, it’s processes need movement to be done correctly.

So, keep training, just be smart about it.

Building-Microcycle 1-Friday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 1 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Lever Work



Breakdown

No changes.

Definitely hit my volume cap. During yesterday’s workout, tendon pain in my left elbow came up. Which, if you recall, I guessed would happen.

But, no worries, did some remedial work, and I’ll continue doing so through Monday and hopefully I’ll be good to go by then.

Thought of the day: It’s interesting how everybody wants to make everything so complicated.

When rarely do we do the basics correctly nor do we take the time to learn them in the first place.

As General Amos mentioned in “Sustaining the transformation”, we have to be brilliant in the basics, because that is where we will maintain mastery on the battlefield.

Training is no different.

If you can’t lift things up and you can’t run, why are you trying to slam ropes around. Let’s learn the basic human functions first.

Building-Microcycle 1-Thursday

Pull up, 40 reps, FSAP @ 145

Pull-up Negatives, 2 x 5 @ 185

Press 3 x 5

Breakdown

Pretty straightforward.

I ended up getting 7 miles in yesterday and 500 pushups as well. Definitely should not have done all of that before tomorrows training day, but… Whatever

Thought of the day: As much as we tend to think of our bodies like machineS. It’s just not the case. We are way more complicated then that.

One of my athletes today benched 20 more pounds (after a failure) off visualization alone.

When’s the last time you were able to get your car to have more power by making it visualize the movement first?

Building-Microcycle 1-Wednesday

Active Rest Day!

Hour or so cardio and maybe a run.

Breakdown

Yesterday was solid. The deload definitely helped getting me to wear I needed to be.

Today, no real change.

Building-Microcycle-1-Tuesday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 2 x 5

5 Rd Circuit:
Row x 5
Evil Wheel Negatives x 5
50m Shuttle Run

Later:

1 hour cardio

Breakdown

Yesterday was solid. Managed to do extra pullups and through in some pushups to wrap up.

This volume is really paying off.

For today, nothing crazy new, just swapping out the longer sprint. With upping volume and keeping my calorie intake low, I’m cutting back on the less necessary volume.

Building-Microcycle 1-Monday

Pull-up 50 reps FSAP @ 155

Bench 3 x 5

50 Wide Grip Pullups

Breakdown

Start of a new cycle. The one change this training session is volume.

I’m normally pretty maxed out after the 50 reps, but my climb in weights is showing down and in general the first fix is volume.

So, I’m adding in some body weight pullups.

There is a risk of overuse, but I’ll monitor it pretty closely.

If it goes well, I’ll continue adding volume as the weeks go by.

Basics-Microcycle 5-Sunday

Easy 8 mile run

Breakdown

Last day of the deload/alternative week. Time to kick it back in again.

Basics-Microcycle 5- Saturday

1 hour of cardio

Breakdown

Same as last week.

Basics-Microcycle 5-Friday

Clean 5 x 3

Row 3 x 5

Good Morning 2 x 5

Lever Work

Breakdown

Today is just for fun. Still in the deload week.

Basics-Microcycle 5-Thursday.

Find 1RM Wide Grip Pullup

Find 1 RM Press.

Hour or so run.

Breakdown

Deload/Alternate week continued.

Basics-Microcycle 5-Wednesday

Active Rest Day!

Hour or so cardio and maybe a run.

Breakdown

Continuing with the deload/alt. week. Feeling stronger already, can’t wait for next week.

Basics-Microcycle 5-Tuesday

Find 95% 1RM for Squat and Sumo Deadlift

Hour or so run.

Breakdown

Deload/Alternate week continued. Definitely ended up changing yesterday’s workout.

Still found my 1RMs, but I skipped the running and did 150 pullups and 1,000 pushups instead.

Remember, this week is the “Whatever you want week”. So, if I feel like mixing it up, I do.

Basics-Microcycle 5-Monday

Find 1RM Pullup

Find 1 RM Bench Press

Hour or so run.

Breakdown

Deload/Alternate week. A week of finding 1 RMs and just enjoying training. I might not do the planned workout. I’ll just see how I feel

Basics-Microcycle 4-Sunday

Ocean Swim-Hour or so


Breakdown

I’m mixing it up a little bit, and going for a swim. I may still run, but I’ll see how I feel afterwards.

For Saturday’s workout, I did do my hour of cardio in the morning with a series of 400 m runs and calisthenics.

I was also invited for an hour long swim in the pool, so I did that as well. As usual, the “rest” day turned into a tiring day as well, but it was still blast.

Basics-Microcycle 4- Saturday

1 hour of cardio

Breakdown

Same as last week.

Basics-Microcycle 4-Friday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 1 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Lever Work



Breakdown

I might add in an hour or so cardio, biking or running, we’ll see.

So, for Thursday’s workout, after my first 20 reps at 125 for my pullups. I decided to up the ante. I ended up knocking out the last 30 at 155lbs. Felt like I hit a cheat code. But sometimes that just happens. Hardwork pays off.

Basics-Microcycle 4-Thursday

Pull up, 50 reps, FSAP @ 125

Press 3 x 5

Breakdown

Pretty straightforward.

Yesterday, I definitely did more then planned. An hour of sprints and my hammy’s are dead.

But, solid workout.

Basics-Microcycle 4-Wednesday

Rest day-ish


Breakdown

I’ll probably still run and do calisthenics, but keeping it fun and easy.

Basics-Microcycle-4-Tuesday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 2 x 5

5 Rd Circuit:

Row x 5
Evil Wheel Negatives x 5

200m sprint

Later:

1 hour cardio

Breakdown

Boy am I ready for the deload/alternative week coming up. I can feel the weight in my bones.

Last week the circuit worked really well, so I’m keeping it.

Basics-Microcycle 4-Monday

Pull-up 50 reps FSAP @ 125

Bench 3 x 5

Breakdown

Nothing crazy today.

Basics-Microcycle 3-Sunday

8 mile run, with 1 mile easy, then 1 mile all out, then repeat for all 8 miles.


Breakdown

This felt solid last week, so I’m ready to repeat. I may keep this going until progress falls or it stops feeling good.

Basics-Microcycle 3- Saturday

1 hour of cardio

Breakdown

Whatever keeps the blood pumping. This will likely be a bunch of bodyweight exercises.

Basics-Microcycle 3-Friday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 1 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Plank x max hold

1-2 hr bike ride

Breakdown

Not sure how long or far the bone will be, but I’m assuming pretty brutal. Heading out with one of my athletes.

Basics-Microcycle 3-Thursday

Pull up, 50 reps, FSAP @ 125

Press 3 x 5

Breakdown

Pretty straightforward.

Basics-Microcycle 3-Wednesday

Rest day-ish

Breakdown

I’ll probably still run and do calisthenics, but keeping it fun and easy.

Last workout ended up being more brutal then I planned. I couldn’t figure out why my sprints were so slow… Turns out I ran closer to 300m sprints. Pretty good times too.

Basics-Microcycle-3-Tuesday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 2 x 5

5 Rd Circuit:

Row x 5
Evil Wheel Negatives x 5

200m sprint

Later:

1 hour cardio

Breakdown

Busy day, to save time, pushing the supplemental work into a circuit. I will later follow-up with an hour of cardio or so

Basics-Microcycle 3-Monday

Pull-up 50 reps FSAP @ 125

Bench 3 x 5

Breakdown

Mondays cardio is being switched to Tuesday to avoid messing with Squats.

And, time to up the pullups.

Basics-Microcycle 2-Sunday

8 mile run, with 1 mile easy, then 1 mile all out, then repeat for all 8 miles.

Breakdown

This is the kind of run you do to increase your speed. I’ve been slowing my running down for a while and it’s time to pick it back up.

Basics-Microcycle 2-Saturday

3 mile run

Breakdown

Ended up missing my lifts yesterday, I was invited by a guy I train to go on a 25 mile bike ride through the mountains.

Just as I have talked about in the past, it’s not just about training, it’s about why you train. For me, that’s going out and having new adventures and taking on opportunities.

In this case, that’s biking over lifting.

The guy has been biking for decades… Me, I’m borrowing a bike, needless to say, my legs are trashed, probably take it easy this weekend.

But, being able to keep up and push the pace works for me. The training works.

Basics-Microcycle 2-Friday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 1 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Plank x max hold

Breakdown

Ready for deadlifts, I’ve been starting to miss those.

Basics-Microcycle 2-Thursday

Pull up, 50 reps, FSAP @ 115

Press 3 x 5

Breakdown

I’m feeling pretty good. Getting back to the “I need to lift mindset”. It always takes a bit after Ultra season. Maybe I’ll go for 125, we’ll see.

Basics-Microcycle 2-Wednesday

Rest day-ish

Breakdown

I’ll be joining a local boot camp style workout in the morning and may go on a run. But, nothing crazy or intense.

Basics-Microcycle 2-Tuesday

Squat 3 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Evil Wheel Negatives x 25

Breakdown

Nothing crazy.

Basics-Microcycle 2-Monday

Pull-up 50 reps FSAP @ 115

Bench 3 x 5

Cardio – 60 min

Breakdown

2nd week. I’ll probably get back to running as well and might add in some farmer walks. Haven’t had anything to really kick my heart in gear for a while.

Basics-Microcycle 1- Sunday

Rest Day

Breakdown

Active rest day as usual, I’ll likely go for a swim.

Basics-Microcycle 1- Saturday

1 hour of cardio

Breakdown

Whatever keeps the blood pumping. This will likely be a bunch of bodyweight exercises.

Basics-Microcycle 1-Friday

Squat 3 x 5

Deadlift 1 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Plank x max hold

Breakdown

Straightforward.

Basics-Microcycle 1-Thursday

Pull up, 50 reps, FSAP @ 105

Press 3 x 5

Breakdown

I definitely ended up doing more than planned during the rest day. Running, swimming, and hiking. Solid 6 hours of moving.

But, life is there to live. We’ll see how I feel during this workout.

Basics-Microcycle 1-Wednesday

Rest day

Breakdown

This doesn’t necessarily mean no training. It’s really just an unstructured day.

I’ll likely do some easy running and maybe some swimming, we’ll see.

Basics-Microcycle 1-Tuesday

Squat 3 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Evil Wheel Negatives x 25

Breakdown

I’m beat from those pullups. Lots of volume, but that’s the goal.

Moving into this workout, we are actually reducing volume significantly when it comes to legs.

Like we have talked about in the past, the minimum you can do and still find progress is the right thing to do. So, while I would prefer to be doing a 5×5, this is a trial period to see if I can progress on 3×5 at least until I get to the previous years weights.

Historically, it’s not quite enough volume for me but with the goal still being the pull-up it’s worth re-experimenting on some past learned lessons.

Basics-Microcycle 1-Monday

Pull-up 50 reps FSAP @ 105

Bench 3 x 5

Cardio – 60 min

Breakdown

So, for those that follow, I am now a little over 6 weeks from my 100 mile race and I’ve been spending the last few weeks readjusting to strength training. I’ve lost quite a bit, but it’s coming back and I’m starting to feel mentally recharged.

With that in mind, I’m embarking on a new journey, one I started last year but had to put on hold to train for my race.

The journey to a 235lb Pull-up (not including my body weight). With that in mind, I’m in new territory. It’s not been done before, so, there’s no road map. But, just like with my clients and when in the Marines, the only place to start is back to the basics.

That’s exactly what this plan is, simple, easy, and most important, easy to adjust.

Base Building-Microcycle 4-Sunday

10 Mile Run, last two miles will be striders

Breakdown

Debating about biking instead, no reason, just for fun.

Base Building-Microcycle 4-Saturday

1 hour cardio.

Breakdown

Straightforward

Base Building-Microcycle 4-Friday

3 x 5 Squat

3 x 5 Pull-ups

3 x 5 Press

1 x 5 Deadlift

5 Levers – negatives

Breakdown

This is mostly just for fun to wrap up this cycle. Training starts getting more serious next week.

Base Building-Microcycle 4-Thursday

Rest Day

Breakdown

This is probably the first back to back rest day besides tapering for a race. But, with the quick ramp up last week, it’s needed. Slow and steady increases win the race.

Base Building-Microcycle 4-Wednesday

Rest Day

Breakdown

Time to take a step back.

Base Building-Microcycle 4-Tuesday

Squat 1 x 3,8,5 @ 90/75/80%

Deadlift 2 x 5

Row 3 x 5

Breakdown

Ended up using 65lbs yesterday for the pull-ups, finally starting to start move weights back up.

Base Building-Microcycle 4-Monday

Pull-ups, 3 x 5, 2 x 5 negatives

Bench 3 x 5

50 Evil Wheels

Pull-ups x 50 @ 55lbs FSAP

1 hour of cardio

Breakdown

Definitely beat from the swim and I didn’t even go that far, a little under a mile. But, it was good to get out in the ocean.

Nothing new for this workout. Last Monday of this cycle, next week will jump into the next microcycle.