01-19-18 10:19 AM - Post#861234    

Would it possible to add speed training to the 40 day workout program? Example

Week 1
Monday (Day 1) 2 x 5 and Speed training 9x30 rest 3m
Tuesday (Day 2) 2 x 5
Wednesday (Day 3) 5/3/2
Friday (Day 4) 2 x 5 and Speed training 9x30 (hill/sled)
Saturday (Day 5) 2 x 5

01-19-18 11:52 AM - Post#861237    

Seems like it would work to me, though I've never trained that way. As I understand it, one of the goals of ES is to make concurrent training with another sport practical. The question would be what set/rep/load is appropriate. I suppose you'll have to experiment.

I have a related question for my next program when I complete my 6x6x6 and move to specific off road endurance training.

03-14-18 03:52 AM - Post#863145    

40 d experience

I just finished my 40 day workout cycle based on easystrength -routine. Here's my overview. Hope you find this interesting and moreover motivating.

Background Info:

- M44, weightlifting and shot putting athlete background
- 2014 as a master athlete I had herniated disc problem at my lumbar curve, started slow rehab, crawling around living room and lifting a wooden broomstick. I remember my highlight was picking up our cat from the floor, she is around 5 kg / 10 lbs.
- managed to recover quite well, started training again and I was too keen on training thus getting a scapula/shoulder blade tendon rupture on 2016 during WL-training
- So I was out of the game again and started slow, very slow rehab of shoulder. It took me 10 months with rubber bands, bodyweight etc to get back on barbell again.
- That said I've been around 4 years of recovering and rehab more or less, feeling a bit lost and frustrated, "missing old times" u know...

However I decided to "clean the table" and start over, this time with 40 d -routine for general preparation.

Talking about PRs and development, I think there's no idea to bring in lifetime numbers from 1994 or so, that's history. What matters now is my starting point 40 workouts ago at age of 44.

The Movements and Results: (all values in kgs/rep)

- Clean Deadlift start 100/5, 150/1 => finish 160/5, 175/2
- Front Squat 70/5, 103/1 => 105/5, 120/1
- Bench 70/5, 90/1 => 100/5, 115/1
- Barbell row 80/5, 104/1 => 110/5, 120/1
- KBS 12 kg / 20 -> 24 kg / solid 50 rep

Bodycomp Statistics

- bw start 95 kg => finish 99 kg, change +4 kg
- musclew. start 66,7 kg => 68,4 kg, change +1,7 kg
- %fat start 26,9 => 28, change +1,1%

No special diet, just had a lot of good basic food which supports recovery and keeps me going: veggies, fruits, meat, chicken, salmon, potatoes, pasta, nuts, olive oil; whey protein + creatine supplement after workout. I had no goal of losing weight, just eat good in order to complete the cycle successfully. Coffee & muffin I enjoyed whenever I wanted, no tight rules... Bodycomp change I'm more than satisfied with.

Some Side Notes from my Training Diary:

- workout #20: general muscle tonus increased, feeling kinda "strong" and athletic whole day, posture changed
- workout #24: mirror picture changed! I noticed positive change in traps, pecs, glutes, and surprisingly in biceps too even though not trained them specially. Feeling strong, starting to look strong again.
- #24: tested some clean + fs -combos instead of fs; felt amazingly good, explosive and strong; guess KBS+FS is working? 2nd pull "snap" felt surprisingly good.
- #29: DL 160/5 easy! I recall some heavy clean pulls 150-160/3 prior my disc problem on 2013 but today's 160/5 is definitely a PR by 5 years and 40+ age. Amazed how easy this is.
- #31: slight recovery issues, stalled. Need to take it easy and add more rest.
* Two Days after: Got cold & flu. Rest and back-off for a week.
- #35: tested some full snatches, feeling strong but slow, coordination missing. Need to work on speed strength cycle later on.

- In total it took 10 weeks to run the program.
- My best lifts were around workouts #33-34. After that I most probably pushed too hard, no "easy strength", no gains anymore. I felt also a bit bored too, 10 weeks running the same prgm is mentally tough.

However, I'm more than happy! Thx Dan & Co, this was a good experience! Considering the old damages, my lower back feels good and strong, best within 4 years.

03-14-18 10:50 AM - Post#863156    

Great work!

03-16-18 06:16 PM - Post#863299    

T 74,
That is excellent. On the flu issue, I'm not sure there is an answer for that kind of thing.

Great effort here.

Daniel John Just handing down what I was handed down... Make a Difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude) Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread great books. Say thank you

03-27-18 10:31 AM - Post#863740    

• rb34 Said:

I think this is pretty much the way you would fit the 40 day workout in with other sports training

04-17-18 06:49 PM - Post#864623    

When it comes to adding stuff to the 40 Day Program, I have to make sure I'm not adding too much. For example, if I'm doing a lot of cardio training (i.e. 50-60 minutes of running daily), I try my hardest to be very tight about my exercise selection. I don't exceed 5 exercises per day, and I am very careful about upping the weight. That extra volume can sneak up on you (and it almost always happens in week 3-4 for me if I overdo it).

04-20-18 11:29 AM - Post#864710    

It's a program to get stronger. Anything you add over the forty days...unless it is technique or tactical work...seems to lessen the impact.

In my perfect world, the island with fresh water, protein, veggies, full-time cooks, staff, equipment and all the rest, we would have our athletes focus on a strict diet, walking and Easy Strength for two months a year.

Get strong, then chase everything else.

Daniel John Just handing down what I was handed down... Make a Difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude) Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread great books. Say thank you

05-08-18 03:52 PM - Post#865204    

Hi, I've just done my first six singles day, can someone verify that I'm pitching my 5s day with the right difficulty relative to this

Squat 90-100 for 5s, 135 for top single
Push press 50-52.5 for 5s, 67.5 for single
Chin 10 for 5s, 25 for single
Bench 70-75 for 5s, 97.5 for single
Deadlift 120-130 for 5s, 155 for single

BW 79, height 6'0 for reference


Chin single at 25 was a big surprise as I struggled to hit 20*1 on the 5/3/2 day. Push press 67.5*1 was a bit sketchy as my technique is so bad (I can happily strict press what I've been push pressing, apart from that top single)

08-04-18 12:01 PM - Post#868351    

Sorry for missing this...damn.

You are certainly on the right track if these are kilos. Your lifts are solid here.

Daniel John Just handing down what I was handed down... Make a Difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude) Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread great books. Say thank you

40 Day workout users...
08-16-18 01:57 PM - Post#868888    

Hey, coach, I just want to let you know my "EES for Powerlifters" experiment I told you about in a post a few months back went well. I don't go for PRs anymore, but here is a comparison of my best efforts after turning 70 and what I accomplished during the program:

May 2016 thru March 2018 - Squat 320, bench press 255, deadlift 468, weighted pullup 100x3.
Toward the end of the EES experimant (mostly between days 25 and 35) - Squat 315, bench press 250, deadlift 475, weighted pullup 100x4

The squat and bench are lower only because those were my top singles attempts during the program.

I was particularly happy with the squat progress, because as a result of all the specificity training, I went three for three at a meet a week after finishing the program. I've only made depth on all three attempts two other times in the past decade.

By the way, my meet total is ranked 10th in the raw, 165 lb class, masters (over age 50) division, and first in the M4 group (age 70 and above).** Based on that alone, I can call the experiment a success.

Thanks for all you do.

** Powerlifting Watch current (12 month) national rankings, covering reported meets from all federations.

Be strong. Be in shape. Be a man among men, regardless of your age or circumstances.

Edited by AAnnunz on 08-17-18 08:33 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

08-17-18 09:35 AM - Post#868939    

AAnnunz, bravo!

08-17-18 04:09 PM - Post#868975    

Congratulations AAnnunz. I just finished week 2 of my 2nd run of EES but my numbers seem a bit off compared to yours ;)

40 Day workout users...
08-20-18 12:51 PM - Post#869074    

• 12bernd Said:

I'm sure you are doing fine. I've done the program a few times. This time, there was a sense of urgency because of the competition. Consequently, I had specific goals in mind and pushed harder than recommended. That approach can come back to bite you in the ass (more prone to injuries), and I only posted the results because Coach Dan expressed an interest when I told him about my experiment. Staying with the program as written might be a little slower, but it's really the best way to go. Stay the course.

Be strong. Be in shape. Be a man among men, regardless of your age or circumstances.

Edited by AAnnunz on 08-20-18 12:54 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

Re: 40 Day workout users...
09-03-18 05:44 AM - Post#869838    

Even Easier Strength post-mortem

The past few months I've done a run of EES, and here's my experience with it.

Background
I've been off barbell training and only doing sporadic kettlebell training and running since September/October 2017, and I finally managed to kick my ass back into training this summer.

I've had good experiences with EES in the past, and I figured it'd be a good way to get back into it, getting lots of quality reps to practice the lifts rather than forcing the weight up through linear progression or some other program.

Changes to the program
I've made a few changes or additions to the program that are worth mentioning:

• Loaded carry - Instead of choosing one loaded carry and sticking with it for the full program or at least a two-week block, I've varied the LC from day to day based on how I feel. If I feel like going heavy I'll do a farmer's walk, if I feel more like giving my grip a rest I'll do a waiter walk, or a rack walk, etc.
• Hanging knee raises - I've added hanging knee raises on a thick pull-up bar as a grip strength exercise and lower back stretch/tension releaser.
• Curlz - Just for fun and since I've never really done them, I added two vanity sets of barbell curls after the main lifts "just because". I doubt this had any impact on my recovery, since the load is pretty low.

Exercise selection
For blocks 1, 2 and 4 I did the following exercises:

• Back squat
• Deadlift
• Pendlay row
• Overhead press

Before block 3 I'd started feeling a bit "off", so I decided to focus on symmetry:

• Front squat
• Single-leg deadlift
• One-arm row
• One-arm press

I don't have access to enough different weights to follow the 5-3-2 and 6*1 protocol for the one-arm lifts, so instead I did the following:
5-3-2: two sets of 5-4-3-2-1 with my easy weight. So, 5 left, 5 right, 4 left, 4 right, etc. without any rest.
6*1: 6 sets of "as many" with the heaviest weight I could press or row (24 kg kettlebell)

Challenges
I had a few problems this run through the program that probably had some impact on my results.

• Sleep/under-recovery - Due to a combination of work stress and ongoing house renovations, I definitely didn't get enough sleep for the last 4 weeks or so of the program. The most obvious effect of this was in my grip; towards the end I actually went down in the number of knee raises I could do, as my grip started giving out sooner. I actually decided to do a tonic day on the first day of the last week instead of the scheduled 2*5 because I didn't feel properly recovered.
• Back pain - I got too greedy and unfocused during the last front squat rep on the 6*1 day and came down too fast. I finished the rep, but my back was stiff and painful for a few days after that. This obviously affected my lifting in the following days.
• Stomach bug - during the first two-week block I got a nasty stomach bug that lasted for 4 days. I obviously couldn't lift during those days, and I was pretty dehydrated towards the end.
• Pulled glute - Lesson learned: don't do hill sprints after going heavy on deadlifts ...

All in all, this run through the program was very "life happens", but despite all of that I had pretty good results from the program.

Results
Since I haven't been lifting leading up to this there's obviously an element of "everything works ... for six weeks" in these results. Still, I'm pretty happy with how things worked out.

Height: 183 cm (6 feet)
Body weight: quite stable at 95 kg.
Body fat %: quite stable at too high.

Back squat
First 5-3-2: 80 kg
First 6*1: 90 kg

Last 5-3-2: 95 kg
Last 6*1: 105 kg

Graph


Deadlift
First 5-3-2: 110 kg
First 6*1: 137.5 kg

Last 5-3-2: 150 kg
Last 6*1: 160 kg

Graph


OHP
First 5-3-2: 45 kg
First 6*1: 47.5 kg

Last 5-3-2: 50 kg
Last 6*1: 55 kg

Graph



Pendlay row
I did the first block with regular rows, so these numbers are only from week 3 through 8.

First 5-3-2: 60 kg
First 6*1: 70 kg

Last 5-3-2: 70 kg
Last 6*1: 75 kg

Graph


Loaded carries
All I know is that they've gone up. I tested my farmer's with a weighted vest for distance before starting the program and will test again in a day or two. I figured there wasn't much point in testing on the last day of the program with my grip being as shot as it was.

Running
I've tried to keep up on my trail running while doing the program. There's a nice 2.5 km trail going past my house that I've done 1-2 times per week for the past two months. My time has steadily gone up, which has worried me a little, and the last week of the program I did my slowest run since I started last fall.

Surprise twist: today, two days after finishing the program, I finished the run 2 seconds slower than my personal best time. My best guess is that the sleep problems and lack of recovery was also affecting the quality of the runs.

Now what?
The plan is to do a couple of weeks of more tonic kettlebell work and more running just to do something different and make sure the one successful run this morning wasn't just a fluke. After that I'll do switch my focus towards fat loss, likely something involving a nontrivial amount of swings.

Edited by Petter Brodin on 09-03-18 05:48 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

09-05-18 12:27 PM - Post#869993    

Back on the Easy Strength park bench. 40 day program started, 5 days a week, Tues-Sat to finish by Halloween. Realized the Smith like rack at my under equipped suburban soccer mom gym allowed for more bar movement than I thought. So,

Deadlift
Dip
Pull up
Farmer's Walk
Ab wheel

Coupled with more emphasis on aerobic base building and yoga.

09-08-18 12:13 PM - Post#870207    

• Quoting:

Well, I just beat my 2.5k trail record by 35 seconds, so it definitely wasn't a fluke.

09-24-18 03:53 PM - Post#871150    

Running an ES inspired program for a minimum of 21 workouts before any changes can be made. Below will be the routine:

Swings: 75-125 Reps
TBDL: 2 x 5
Slight Decline Bench: 2 x 5
Chins: 2 x 5
Ab Rollouts: 2 x 5
10 Min. Farmers Walk

I'll check back in once the 21 workouts have been completed!

40 Day workout users...
09-27-18 08:11 PM - Post#871300    

Day 17 last night- 6 singles. I thought I would put some effort into these and proceeded to set a PR in the deadlift- 115kg was my final single. And I could have done 4 more reps no problem. Previous heaviest DL was 100kg x 5 many months ago. Incline bench- 80kg for the final single, I could have gone 5-6 more reps for sure. Previous heaviest Incline Bench was a shaky 70kg for 3. Zercher Squat- 70kg and I totally owned that final single- another 5-6 reps was totally there. Previous heaviest was 65kg and that was for a single. And that single was a serious grind. AGE: 52 WEIGHT: 83KG Other notable notes: I tried a 32kg dumbbell suitcase carry back in early July and I got about 15 meters. I have since gotten to 60 seconds with two 32kg dumbbells farmers carry. I like this program so much I might....buy the book.
Additional comments: I follow a morning ritual of 15 minutes or so of Original Strength movements plus arm-bars, I always feel amazing afterwards. I have noticed a general sense of "toughness'after the first ten days, it's almost as if my skin has become more muscular. I may add another set of 1x5 Ab Wheel rolls but that's about it.

Edited by Kiwi5 on 09-27-18 09:40 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

40 Day workout users...
11-19-18 05:25 AM - Post#873881    

Today I finished my 3rd 40 Day Challenge using the EES format and want to give some feedback.

-1st run:
EES Option 1 using Conventional Deadlift, Incline Bench, Front Squat, Chin Up and FW for all 40 days. Worked great, but because this was my first barbell routine I probably used weights that were a bit too light.

-6 week "break" doing 5/3/1 and going on a short holiday

-2nd run:
EES Option 2. Conv. Deadlift, Incline Bench, Front Squat, Chin Ups, FW for 2 weeks. Sumo, Flat Bench, Overhead Squat, Barbell Row, Suitcase Carry for 2 weeks. Repeat.
This time I tried to push a little bit harder but didn't make as much progress as the first time (but the the first 40 Day Challenge was my first barbell routine to begin with). I realized that with deadlifts and squats I had to pace myself to keep things "easy" but I think I could have used that set-up for 60 or even 80 days without any problems.

-2 week "break" doing Southwood 8-6-4

-3rd run:
OK, this time I used the EES reps/sets but stuck to the 40 day exercises. In addition to that I added a little bit and tweaked some things based on what I have learned the first 2 times.
Warm-Up with 3 rounds of: 5 Goblet Squats, 1 TGU per side, 10 swings per arm (everything was light and smooth)
Incline bench press, Conventional Deadlift, Pull Up using the EES sets/reps. + A loaded carry
Finish with some DB curls and calf raises.
Despite having more stuff this was actually a shorter workout because the Deadlift was the only heavy lower body exercise.
Results were pretty good and I usually handled 140-150kg(315-335lbs) for the sets of 5 in the deadlift and 90-100kg (200-225lbs) in the 35° inclince bench press. My heaviest deadlift was 200kg for a single and my heaviest incline bench press 110kg (240lbs). My bodyweight is ~90kg/200lbs.

I did some ab wheel roll outs for all 3 40 day challenges at home before going to bed but never kept track of them.


Well, that's about it. :) 40 Day/EES isn't the most exiting program I have ever done but if you stick to a few big lifts it actually does its magic and can get you reasonably strong without much effort.

One thing I did notice: even a "easy" program like that get's affected by sleep and nutrition. I haven't done much serious training for a while before I started lifting and my diet and sleep habits have slipped quite a bit. So get your protein, avoid fatty and sugary garbage and make sure to get to sleep in time.

OH, and one last thing: I work in a office and besides a few easy, short morning runs/wk (15mins or so) a day at the pool was about as hard as my other physical activity got.

Edited by 12bernd on 11-19-18 05:32 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

11-19-18 02:11 PM - Post#873909    

Nice review.

40 Day workout users...
11-20-18 05:55 AM - Post#873951    

• vegpedlr Said:

Thanks vegpedlr. Sadly I can't really say how much strength I gained overall because I was still learning the lifts when I started and was a bit de-trained compared to 2-3 years ago when I stopped KB lifting.

But after a short "break" I plan on going back to ES/40 Day to find out when it stops working.

Edited by 12bernd on 11-20-18 05:56 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

11-22-18 09:54 AM - Post#874118    

50 Days Done

My 50 day workout is done. Why 50 and 40? I started with the plan of the usual 5x a week for two months, then changed to 4x a week for three months, which yielded a few extra sessions.

I did DL, dips, pull ups, ab wheel and farmer’s walk.

I pulled 205 for 3x3. Best ever. Started in Sep. at 155, but I did finish ES the first time a year and half ago at 185. No DL since then.
I did 6x1 at BW for dips and pull ups. First time in at least forever for those. The dips were easy, the pull ups a little rough. I trained them all along using an assisted machine. I know everyone says not to, but it worked for me.

One snag, my first attempt at pulling 205 tweaked my back a bit.

Other than the QL tweak, always felt good, and was able to maintain a nice aerobic volume, until the fires broke out, ruining air quality.

ES FTW!

11-22-18 01:14 PM - Post#874142    

Congrats on the PR! Hope your back is fine .

How much endurance training do you do in addition to your lifting? In the thread about standards you complained about feeling weak compared to them. But if you are serious about endurance a 2xBW deadlift is not bad at all :)

11-22-18 01:56 PM - Post#874146    

• 12bernd Said:

I weigh considerably more than 100 lbs! But DL or SQ over 200# has been rare in my lifetime. I am weak compared to the strength standards most often tossed around. But compared to JEMERY's "suck" standards, I'm at, or close, to them. Same for the Atomic Athlete standards article I linked for Cat 1 Endurance.

I trained about 8hrs of EN a week, split between running and cycling. That's toward the lower end of the volume I would be putting in during a spring and summer build. Unfortunately, the wildfires interrupted training outdoors for almost two weeks, so that will negatively affect any testing or evaluation I do.

Next up is to try to bring up my BP, SQ, FSQ, and clean while maintaining the DL and PU. Until March, then it's more endurance time.

11-30-18 10:55 AM - Post#874604    

Oh, sorry about that. :) It's interesting to see how people on the far end on the S&C spectrum respond to strength training. 8 hours of cardio/wk is way above anything I have experience with. But I have done a half marathon in just under 2 hours and preparing for that was an interesting experience that made me appreciate the endurance folks a lot more.

40 Day workout users...
04-06-19 07:53 PM - Post#880673    

Ok been doing this for about a month and it’s working pretty well. Hoping to get some feed back on it. Specifically am I overdoing the pull and hinge. Based it on Intervention and couple other Dan John insights and plans.
Stretch
Warmup:
Goblet squats - 2-3 sets of 10 with 32 kg KB
2-3 sets of 25 KB swings 24 kg KB
2-5 Getups each side with 24 kg KB
Workout
Power clean and press: started at 135lb at 155lb now
2 Wave sets as follows
1 clean, 1 press/ 1 clean, 2 presses/1 clean 3 presses
10-15 sec in between
“if all you did was clean and press you could be awesome”
Deadlift: started at 315lb at 355lb now
2 Wave sets
1 deadlift/2 deadlifts/3deadlifts
10-15 sec rest in between
Strict Pull ups controlled going up and down
2 Wave sets
1/2/3 Body weight
Weighted carries:
I mix this up between Farmers walks, sandbag walks, suitcase carries and hex bar walks. Vary the weight as I feel like for the day.
Some quick cardio either rowing or jump rope.

I have been doing this 4 times a week/ can’t fit more than that in based on work and home life. I turn 40 this year so goal is to try and pull 500lb.






Edited by Jimdeg73 on 04-06-19 07:54 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

04-07-19 05:09 PM - Post#880697    

Looks good to me. No need to change if it's working.

"Coyote is always waiting, and Coyote is always hungry."

06-08-19 01:59 AM - Post#883253    

Hey, everyone! I have a query around the 40-day workout plan.

1. My last attempt was a pretty good one with solid gains. I did them 5 days a week.

2. This time things are pretty rough at the personal end and I have to juggle a lot of things (including conditioning... which is mostly kettlebell work for 2-3 days). I'm finding it hard to train 5-days a week and was wondering how could I possibly modify a perfect program such as the 40DW.

Here's what I am on right now:

Week 1
Monday: 2x5
Tuesday: 2x5
Thursday: 2x5
Saturday: 3x3

Week 2
Monday: 2x5
Tuesday: 6x1 (singles, not a max-effort… sort of max)
Thursday: 2x5
Saturday: 5/3/2

I know this isn't perfect but I haven't a clue what to do with the limited options that I have. (Can't squeeze in KB work at the gym, they don't have it. Things would have been so cool if they did.)

Any advise? Suggestions?

06-08-19 02:34 AM - Post#883254    

My primary concern is around the volume. 50NL (on average) with the original plan vs 40NL (approx.) with my plan. I'm clearly missing out on 10 productive lifts...

Was wondering if it makes sense to do 3x5 instead of 2x5 on at least a couple of days a week. Unsure.

• karmicwarrior Said:

06-08-19 11:00 AM - Post#883274    

• karmicwarrior Said:

From my perspective, given your need to work out fewer days each week, I think this makes sense. Just be sure to employ the other Easy Strength-ish principles regarding load and progression. In other words, keep it "easy."

06-08-19 01:00 PM - Post#883278    

I found four days a week to work best. I don’t think the fifth day added much. I always trained either 2x5 or 3x3, going by feel. I’d do triples with a weight until felt easy, then do sets of five, until that was light. Add a little weight and repeat.

06-08-19 05:13 PM - Post#883287    

• vegpedlr Said:

It's said that every program works at first, but no program works forever. I like the sound of this method of progression. How long did it work for you?

06-10-19 05:09 AM - Post#883320    

Thanks! This makes sense :)

06-10-19 05:10 AM - Post#883321    

• vegpedlr Said:

This sounds interesting. Will give it a try. Right now, I'm taking it easy and just going by the feel. For example, this morning I did my usual 2x5, added the 3rd set which was 90% of the previous two sets. But didn't do the same for DLs and OHPs.

06-14-19 01:20 PM - Post#883538    

Putting my program together. This is my next 40 days:

Goblet Squat
Weighted Pullups
Proper Pushups
Farmer Walks
Swings
Ab Wheels

Does this seem appropriate to you 40-day vets out there?

06-15-19 11:39 AM - Post#883566    

What are you thinking on reps and progression on the pushups ?

06-15-19 10:14 PM - Post#883584    

That’s basically what I did during the fall, but with DL instead of goblets, and dips instead of push ups. I worked my way gradually back to full BW dips and pull ups. I did it four days a week for three months, racking up 50 sessions and made great progress.

Your program looks good. Run it, see what happens, and report back.

06-20-19 02:13 PM - Post#883740    

• Franko Said:

Goblet Squat - 2x5 (move up when "too easy")
Weighted Pullups - 2x5 (move up when "too easy")
Proper Pushups - 50 reps per workout (goal is 1 set)
Farmer Walks - 1 set (move up when "too easy")
Swings - 50-75 good reps
Ab Wheels - 1x5

06-20-19 02:14 PM - Post#883741    

Thanks - will update soon

06-23-19 07:17 AM - Post#883812    

I've just finished nearly one entire year of 40-day/Simple Strength workouts, and after breaking down my notebook, I've written up a detailed (4-page!) analysis of my results (for my own personal edification). If anyone would like to see all the various movement combinations and programming decisions I made, I'd be happy to post it. Either way, I do offer the following summary of my results. The numbers represent increases in my daily easy 2x5 or 3x3 sets:

Back Squat: 75kg/165lbs ----- 110kg/242.5lbs
Front Squat: 65kg/132.5lbs ----- 95kg/209.5lbs
Press: 55kg/121lbs ----- 65kg/132.5lbs
Bench: 70kg/155lbs ----- 95kg/209.5lbs
Power Clean: 60kg/132.5lbs ----- 80kg/176.5lbs
Deadlift: Difficult to judge because of chronic back injuries, but I did achieve super easy PRs when healthy.
Pullup: Bodyweight ----- 16kg/35lbs
Bodyweight: 91kg/205lbs ----- 86kg/190lbs

The highlights included the following freakishly easy PR sets:
Deadlift 170kg/375lbs x 1
Pullups 40kg/88lbs x 4
Power Clean 90kg/198lbs x 1

I should note that I started the neverending-40-day program/Simple Strength last year after finishing a linear progression which left me with kind of okay top-end strength (300 x 5 back squats), but at a fat, sick, wheezing, joint-pained bodyweight of 220lbs. I focused on fat loss for 8 weeks, then began this year-long adventure. In the end however, I've dropped 30lbs of fat, and my 5-rep "max max maxes" from one year ago are now my easy, daily, no-warmup, no-thought sets (except on back squats, though, perhaps, soon enough). I expect that one year from now, barring injury, I'll be 5-10lbs more muscular, with continued significant increases. Regardless, I'm now a lean and lanky 190lb human male who can walk in the gym and lift decent weights without really warming up or thinking, my mobility is fantastic, my health is fantastic, and this training methodology combined with 30 minutes of walking a day is likely the only way I'll train for the foreseeable future.

06-23-19 08:07 AM - Post#883813    

Good work. Thanks for the update.

"Coyote is always waiting, and Coyote is always hungry."

40 Day workout users...
06-25-19 09:14 AM - Post#883883    

Fantastic! Great work!

Makes you wonder why anyone chooses Difficult Strength, when they can do Easy.

What were your experiences with the squat and how did you program it? DJ doesn’t like the squat for ES, but some folks seem to make it work. Thoughts?

Edited by vegpedlr on 06-25-19 09:16 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

Re: 40 Day workout users...
06-25-19 09:42 PM - Post#883913    

• vegpedlr Said:

Thank you. It certainly does make me wonder. I can't figure out why this isn't mandatory in high school PE class.

My favorite movement combination is Squats + Power Cleans (+ Press + Pullup + Carry). For me, it never did much for my top-end squat strength. Or, at least, I don't suspect that it did, because I never really "went for it." Yet this is what I do know:

When I was previously back squatting my 5RM 2 times a week on a linear progression, I was sneaking up into the 300s for sets of 5. Yet that required 5 warmup sets. At the same time, when I started the 40-day program, I couldn't squat more than 185 every day for 10 reps. More than that was impossible to recover from. On the 5/3/2 days when I'd load up the bar a bit, it just felt heavy on my back.

Now, nothing feels heavy in the rack, even on 5/3/2 and 6x1 days. I feel bouncy. And I recover easily. This is meaningful to me, as I've got a fused metal ankle and fierce hip impingement and a spine made of popcorn, yet I don't feel creaky anymore. So I may not have improved my top-end strength by great amounts, but my bottom-end, "daily accessible" strength has improved by 30-40%, all while dropping piles of fat.

In terms of programming the squat, I generally follow the 5-day format Dan has provided in his articles, except now I do 3 x 3 instead of 2 x 5. Faster, crisper reps, and easier to recover from. Generally I'll do 3 x 3 increasing the weight each set, for maybe one week. Then I'll take the top set and do 3 across, for maybe one week. Then I'll do the same weight for 2 x 5, and it'll be easy, and I start over.

I also now only pair it with power cleans (or maybe kettlebell swings if I had heavier kettlebells). Mixing it with a dynamic hinge seems to be the right trick.

06-26-19 02:55 PM - Post#883949    

As I'm doing Easy Strength while simultaneously training for a marathon (bucket list item, not a regular thing for me), I found I was getting burned out.

So this week I switch to just 3 movements: Swing, Bench, Pullup. Finish with 5 mins of loaded carries.

We'll see if this works a bit better for me.

40 Day workout users...
06-27-19 06:03 PM - Post#884020    

I've got access to a gym at work that has all the barbells I could ever need, so I'm finally going to tackle 40 Day workout/EES.

4 days a week in the gym is probably the limit (since I'll have to be getting up and out of the house earlier.)

Plus, Monday through Friday without a rest day may be inadvisable anyway.

So I'm looking at four days a week with the typical EES barbell movements (deadlift, a press, a squat - plus a loaded carry and ab wheel .)

I do have a 28kg and a 40 kg kettlebell at home.

Is it preferable to train Mon, Tue, Thurs, Friday and not touch the kettlebell on the weekend?

Or should I do some swings/getups/Litinovs or loaded carries with the kettlebells on Saturday morning so I hit the 5 day-a-week high frequency mark (even though my lifts on the 5th day won't match the other 4 days.)

I know I'm overthinking this but that's how I am.

Edited by Jim James on 06-27-19 06:04 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

06-27-19 08:54 PM - Post#884031    

I found four days a week the sweet spot for me. The fifth day didn’t seem to add anything, but take away time better used for my endurance pursuits. I like M-T-TH-F and play on the weekends. Or just two days on, one day off. The whole point of ES is to get stronger while not interfering with other sports. So after settling in, do whatever you like.

07-03-19 11:35 AM - Post#884239    

The fifth day...usually the light day...is the day my body figured out the "system."

that was the "AHHHHhhh, I see" moment for me.

Daniel John Just handing down what I was handed down... Make a Difference. Live. Love. Laugh. Balance work, rest, play and pray (enjoy beauty and solitude) Sleep soundly. Drink Water. Eat veggies and protein. Walk. Wear your seat belt. Don’t smoke. Floss your teeth. Put weights overhead. Pick weights off the floor. Carry weights. Reread great books. Say thank you

07-06-19 01:08 PM - Post#884400    

• Dan John Said:

My body lacked the barbell experience. For me it was halway through my third cycle when it "clicked".

09-28-19 05:31 PM - Post#888340    

Hi all it’s great to see everyone’s success with this program. I am on my eighth and final week with the following setup.

Squat
Bench
Row
Abs wheel
Swings 80-100 with 60 lbs.
Trap bar farmers carries.

I’m curious about something. Is most of the workout for you guys with the swings and carries? I find the main lifts very quick and,well, easy. I don’t even break a sweat. But the swings and carries have me really huffing and puffing and exhausted. Especially the carries. I do bodyweight for 200 yards.

Am I correct to assume the swings and carries should be hard. Or are we supposed to find these easy as well?