10-19-20 04:58 PM - Post#903726    

The years that I kept an online log were always my most consistent and productive training years. Keeping a personal offline log is great, but has never provided the same motivation for me. I train alone all the time, and looking back I've realized that keeping an online log helped me feel accountable to a community.

The good people here and active community has me excited to start a log, make some goals, and get consistent again. This last year I have really dropped the ball and 'let myself go'.

My training background to catch up anyone who wants to follow:
-No athletic background growing up except outdoor shenanigans; climbing, running, playgrounds etc. No formal sports.
-2005-2009: Started working out in late 2005. Followed mens health nonsense for a few years. Did some running.
-2009-2013: Started Crossfit in 2009. Self taught. Got decent. Friend signed me up for a local competition. Got 2nd. Never knew I was good at 'sports' so I was shocked. Got a lot of confidence and competed more. Placed top 3 at several events, went to western canada regionals in 2012 with a team. Missed individual qualification by only 4 places that year. Worked as a CF coach for several years.
-Fell in love with olympic lifting during this time. Realized my favorite part of CF competitions was the weightlifting events.
-Competed in some olympic weightlifting events. Did this during my crossfit time. Loved it more than crossfit. But I was 'good' at crossfit and it was a struggle to choose between them. In hindsight I should have dumped CF waaaaay sooner and just done Oly.
-2013-2015: Moved out of the city, no access to platform, lost touch with weightlifting team I was on. Burned out hard on crossfit. Quit it and decided to move on with my training. Missed oly so much.
-Bought my own equipment, did powerlifting routines in basements/garages of various homes I lived in (moved a lot during this time), texas method, 531, etc. Tried all the big routines during this time. Got much stronger than I had ever been. I hit my first two training peaks during this time.
-On texas method I worked up to 365x5 squat, 460x5 deadlift, and 265x5 bench.
-Later, on 531 I hit 205 press, 275 bench, 405 squat, 500 deadlift. Got up to 205 bodyweight.
-2015: got married. Took 8 weeks off. Tried some kettlebell and bodyweight stuff. Did some powerlifting in our apartment.
-2016: joined local crossfit gym, but not to do CF. Missed Oly the entire time and so badly wanted to do it. This is my biggest training peak of my life. Competed in weightlifting again. Worked up to 370x5 squat (and it felt light), 360x1 front squat, 250 snatch, 300 clean and jerk, 315 clean. My last competition I went 110, 130.
-2016: Bought a house, quit the CF gym (cause going to a CF gym is like having a second mortgage). House projects became a thing.
-2017-2019: Went to college to become an engineering tech. Also had our first kid. Trained powerlifting again at college gym. Woodworking became a big hobby.
-2020: graduated from college, got a job. Been adrift in a sea of uncertainty most of this year as how training fits into adult life. Wife, kid, house, all that stuff.
-Present: Still miss olympic lifting. I have bumper plates and a decent bar. Can't do it in my basement. Took a step back to examine what my goals and motivations are for training. Joined this forum, felt like I was around like minded people who have normal lives. Started feeling better about training, less pressure to measure up to how good I used to be and more motivated to just lift to be healthy.

I still don't know how to be motivated without hard goals. It was always easy when I was competing. Snatch more, CJ more, lift more. At 33, with the limited time I can give to the gym, I'm not likely to surpass my lifetime bests.

Ultimately I just want to be healthier; but I also really miss being strong. There's a lot of lifts I've never spent time doing that will be fun to try. Things like incline bench, barbell curls.

For right now I'm going to start slowly using 531 as a base. I'm going to follow a basic 2x2x2 that looks like this:

Day 1
Squat 5's PRO & Pull-ups
3x5 @ FSL
Weighted Pushup 5's PRO
3x5 @ FSL
Bent Over Cheat Row 3x10-15
Calf Raises 3x20

Day 2
Airdyne 10-20 minutes

Day 3
Mobility/Rest

Day 4
Deadlift 5's PRO & Pull-ups
SLDL 3x5
Weighted Dips 5's PRO
3x5 @ FSL
Power Curls 3x10-15
Calf Raises 3x20

Day 5
1 hour of hockey

Day 6-7
Mobility/Rest

I'll be using 5's progression with a low training max to start (because I'm weak). 5's PRO is just using only sets of 5 instead of + sets for the 531 top sets. This will be followed by 3 drop sets at the first set weight.

I'm going to use weighted pushups and weighted dips instead of bench and press. I don't have a bench, and my basement ceiling is too low to press with a barbell. The pull movements I have never done before so those should be fun too - I have done bent rows before, but only strict. It'll be fun to do something a little different.

The great thing about this 2x2x2 base is that it can be easily waved between park and bus bench levels of volume by just changing the supplementary work (the 3x5 drop sets). I own 531 forever, so there's countless options to use for that stuff.

Planning to start tonight. Starting weights will be... embarrassing. That should give some solid motivation to stay consistent.

Here we go.

Derksenchr('039')s Training Log
10-20-20 05:34 AM - Post#903743    

Welcome to the logs, Jordan. Thanks for the intro/ background. I wish you success on your journey.

If you make training your number one priority and explain to your wife why it is important to you she will never give you trouble if she married you for who you really are. Just be clear and determined, quietly focused and do not compromise.
You show the family kindness and care also and there will be no problems. Godspeed.

And what about OL? Will you just keep missing them or is there something you might do about it when the time is right?

You have a lot around you now, naturally, and staying healthy is a good goal at this point in time and all those years ahead. You go! Start slow, build up. Make it work.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

10-20-20 07:48 PM - Post#903777    

Thanks Pink Pixie.

If the time is right I think I still have some competitions left in me. I would love to find a time period to train hard and try to beat my personal bests in a competition. But for now, it’s just getting back on the horse.

Tuesday, Oct 20/20
1A) Back Squat: 135x5, 155x3, 175x5, 205x5, 235x5
1B) Pull-up: 5x3. Tried these with an arched upper back. Very different technique for me so I kept the reps low and focused on form.
2) Ring Pushups: 5, 5, 30x5, 60x5, 12
3) Bent Over Cheat Row: 95x10, 135x10, 185x10
4) Farmers Walk: 53x2 for 3 trips around the basement. Light and easy.

I went too crazy with farmers walks over the summer and got some hand pain that I had to deal with the last few weeks.

Kept everything pretty light and easy as an intro. I haven’t back squatted consistently in over a year, so this will be fun.

Also, I’m trying something new during workouts and just in general. Only breathing through my nose. After reading some articles about it I decided I need to give it a try. I’m not a mouth breather generally, but with any physical exertion I do. I was impressed with the results. I thought I would feel like I was suffocating the whole time, but the reality was my breathing was steady, slow, and I never got light headed after my sets. This is definitely going to be a permanent change. It will be interesting to see if my nose ‘opens up’ as is claimed will happen over the next few months.

All in all, I’m glad to finally be lifting some weights again, even if I did have to drop my training max significantly.

10-20-20 09:44 PM - Post#903779    

Welcome, Jordan! This site is like a big family. There is much support here.

As Pixie said, if training is important to you, you will find a way and your family will support you.

I have kept a journal for many decades. I work hard to beat my workout every time. Posting here adds to my motivation, no doubt. Every time someone posts on my log, it psyches me.

Again, welcome and get to work!

Judge John "You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." - Abraham Lincoln "I live, I lift, I ache, I am." - Dave Draper "Moderation assures mediocrity -- nice, safe. Mediocrity is for the mediocre -- simple, okay. The intense rule; the mediocre follow." - Dave Draper Every day innocent plants are killed by vegetarians. Help stop the slaughter. EAT MEAT!

Derksenchr('039')s Training Log
10-21-20 05:10 AM - Post#903787    

Strong work buddy, welcome! Looking forward to seeing your progress.

Diablo Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth- MT

Edited by Diablo on 10-21-20 05:11 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

10-21-20 06:07 PM - Post#903814    

Thanks for checking in guys! Looking forward to being part of an active community.

Wednesday Oct 21/20
Airdyne 20:00
307 cals
208 avg watts pace
6.75 miles

Pretty happy with that pace having done almost no conditioning for the last while. I’ve had far worse results when getting started again that’s for sure.

Derksenchr('039')s Training Log
10-22-20 10:05 AM - Post#903836    

Welcome!

You're still very young at 33, so lots of time to figure these things out. Half the fun is experimenting and figuring out what works for you, and you'll find a lot of folks here who have walked the path you are on now, and lots of different things you can do to make it your own. Wish you luck, man.

FWIW, at your age, I did not have kids yet and was still competing in T&F, highland games, training parkour and boxing, etc, but have definitely come around lately to the idea of training almost exclusively for (my version of) health, with some modest "goals" to chase here and there. That said, I'm a decade older than you, and it took me awhile to get to where I am...

And for the record, you're prolly pretty far from "weak" in the general pop sense!




Edited by BrianBinVA on 10-22-20 10:15 AM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

10-23-20 07:28 PM - Post#903928    

Thanks for checking in Brian! It’s true, even in my current state I still am decently strong. It’s just hard to accept when you know you’ve been capable of much more in the past.

Friday, Oct 23/20
1A) Deadlift: 205x5, 230x5, 260x5.
1B) Pullups: 5,4,3,3,3. Getting more comfortable with those arched back pullups.
2) RDL: 135x5, 135x5, 135x5. Kept these super light. Focused on a nice stretch instead of loading them up.
3) Ring Dips: 5, 5, 5, 10x5, 20x5
4) Power Curls: 45x10, 75x10, 105x10.

Keeping this log is definitely helping for this week. Feeling motivated and consistent. It won’t take long to get a good habit going.

I have not been sleeping well however. Taking a long time to fall asleep, waking up at 3 or 4am and taking up to an hour to fall asleep again. Not sure if it’s related to working out or not. It’s weird, working out should help you sleep better. Over the last year it seems to do the opposite for me. When I workout I typically sleep worse. The strange thing is, workouts this light are not challenging at all; so it shouldn’t be enough to affect recovery/sleep especially at only twice a week for weights.

I dunno... I’ll have to see how it balances out over the next few weeks. Hopefully the sleep will improve again.

10-26-20 08:54 PM - Post#904006    

Saturday Oct 24/20
1 hour of rec hockey. My legs were definitely dead after lifting weights this last week. Once I get conditioned it’ll be much better.

Monday Oct 26/20
1A) Back Squat: 135x5, 165x5, 195x5, 225x5, 250x5.
1B) Ring Pullups: 5x5
2) Ring Pushups: 5, 5, 15x5, 45x5, 70x5, 15x10. Top set definitely felt heavy. Rings add a big challenge especially once the weights get up there.
3) Bent Over Cheat Row: 95x10, 145x10, 195x10.

Ended it there for today.

10-27-20 09:19 AM - Post#904010    

Good to see you here, Jordan. Thanks for taking the time to give us such a complete and impressive history. You're off to a good start. I see some big numbers in your future...should you choose to pursue them. Wishing you the very best.

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

Derksenchr(chr('039')039chr('039'))s Training Log
10-27-20 07:50 PM - Post#904026    

• Jordan Derksen Said:

It is not unusual to wake up at that time but it can become problematic if you can't go back to sleep and when the condition persists. Sometimes it is related to elevated levels of stress or elevated levels of blood sugar.

Quote:
Your body uses glucose (sugar) for energy and it is important to have enough extra energy to be able to wake up in the morning. So for a period of time in the early morning hours, usually between 3 a.m. and 8 a.m., your body starts churning out stored glucose to prepare for the upcoming day.

One can take melatonin-it also resets the circadian rhythm, I believe. But it is important not to take too high dose because it can cause pretty wild and vivid dreams. In that case it is preferable to talk to a doctor rather than experiment on your own even if you can get the supplement over the counter.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

10-28-20 06:00 PM - Post#904049    

Hey thanks for checking in guys!

Pink.Pixie, I've always been wary of melatonin or any sleep aids. I do as much as I can naturally - cooler room, dark blinds, etc. The last thing I want is to get hooked on needing a drug to help me sleep.

It seems to have balanced out now. It was probably just the adrenaline from that first week of getting back into heavy weights. The last few nights I've been sleeping well; although it's always hard to get up in the morning.

Yesterday did some mobility work.

Wednesday Oct 28/20
Airdyne 20 mins
210 avg watts; 315 cals; 6.81 miles.

Improvement from last time. Nose was a little more stuffed up this time, but I pushed through and didn't resort to mouth breathing.

Derksen's Training Log
10-28-20 06:22 PM - Post#904051    

Hi Jordan.
Melatonin is more like a supplement. Some docs take it now as a prevention for Covid 19 because it strengthens the immune system. A friend from Canada used it to get rid of jet lag after coming to Europe. Nevertheless, main thing is that you can sleep. Good luck with your training. Keep it up.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

10-31-20 06:16 PM - Post#904164    

The week got crazy, and the power of the forum kicked in to get me in gear. Got after it this afternoon on my second strength day. Playing hockey later tonight so that’ll be so fun after some deadlifts. That’s what I get for putting it off.

Saturday Oct 31,2020
1A) Deadlift: 245x5, 280x5, 315x5
1B) Pull-up: 4x5. Not sure what to call these, but they aren’t tactical pullups; I’ve done enough of those in my life. These are more like row pullups with the upper back in extension.

2) Ring Dips: 5, 5, 15x5, 35x5, 11

3) Power Curl: 65x10, 95x10, 115x10

1 hour of Rec Hockey coming up in 3 hours.

11-03-20 07:45 AM - Post#904232    

Got after it today. After the discussion on the main forum I jumped into front squats today. Ya, its the last week of the cycle, but it really doesn't matter.

Monday Nov 2, 2020
1A) Front Squat: 190x5, 215x5, 245x5. These felt so much better than back squats.
1B) Pull-up: 4x5

2) Ring Pushups: 5, 5, 30x5, 60x5, 80x5. These got a little snakey on that set at 80. I'll tighten up the range of weights a bit so I get more practice with heavier weights and drop my training max to dial in form for the next cycle.

3) Bent Over Cheat Row: 115x10, 155x10, 185x10. Dialed in my form on these and rowed into my lower abs instead of my lower chest. I'm so used to pendlay rows that I'm still working on these. It felt a lot better on my top set though.

That's it for today.

11-06-20 08:47 AM - Post#904311    

Thursday Nov 5/20
1A) Deadlift: 260x5, 300x5, 335x5
1B) Pull-ups: 8, 7, 6

2) Ring Dips: 10x5, 25x5, 40x5, 10

3) Power Curl: 65x10, 95x10, 125x10.

Didn't get my 20 mins on the airdyne yet this week. Got hockey later tonight (posting this on friday morning). May just skip that conditioning workout this week or try to make up on Saturday.

Next week will be a deload week. I don't totally feel that I need one, but I'm for sure taking it. Been down that crash and burn road too many times.

11-10-20 10:24 PM - Post#904462    

1 hour game of hockey last friday. It'll be the last for a while because our province is locking down for the next 4 weeks.

It's a deload week this week. I'm going to adjust my exercise choices a bit for this next cycle. I've had a hard time finding goals for myself to stay motivated, so the last week has been spent reading up on specific weight training towards hockey. The goal right now is to help improve my game so the focus will be more on some unilateral exercises and adding in some explosive work. The program I started will still be the base program I use.

I read a particular article from a performance center for NHL players. They use front squats, split squats, and olympic weightlifting as the base of their programming. Those are all my favorite things so lets do it.

Tuesday Nov 10/20
1A) Front Squat: 135x5, 185x5, 185x5
1B) Pull-up: 5, 5, 5

2) One Arm Pushup: 3, 3, 3

3) Ring Rows: 10, 10

I also got a fun little stickhandling practice board called super deker. I'm trying to spend at least 10 minutes per day on it.

This is going to be great! Focusing on hockey is the perfect solution to my lack of direction in the weight room this last year.

Still putting together my list of exercises for this next cycle, but I'm excited to have this down week and get after it hard next week!

11-17-20 08:10 AM - Post#904667    

Started a new cycle again yesterday. Took the rest of last week as complete rest for the deload week. Adding in some basic olympic lifts this time around.

Monday Nov 16/20
1) 'The Drill' (PS, OHS, Hang Sn, Sn): 95, 115, 135
I have to do this in my furnace room, it's the only place where the floor is just low enough that I can feed my plates between the floor joists and get all the way overhead.
Weird thumb pain was shooting down my right arm in the catch position. That's never happened during snatching. Ever since getting serious about farmers walks earlier this year I have had the weirdest pain in my right hand at the base of the thumb. Anyway, these were basically warmup weights just to get a feel for it.

2) Front Squat: 175x5, 200x5, 225x5

3A) One Arm Pushup: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
3B) One Arm Ring Row: 5, 5, 5, 5

Did rounds of stickhandling on a sheet of fake ice between sets.

Derksenchr('039')s Training Log
11-17-20 09:34 AM - Post#904672    

• Jordan Derksen Said:

Heheh, you are determined, great! Keep up the good work.

• Jordan Derksen Said:

Pay attention to it and see where/what is the cause. Do not ignore it. Maybe you just move ahead too fast too quickly. Or it just needs some specific stretching/strengthening, or fixing some imbalance. Do you have some reliable experienced body worker? They are hard to find but if you find one and nearby bribe him/her on a regular basis, hehe.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

11-20-20 07:18 PM - Post#904863    

Ya I definitely won’t ignore it. The likely cause it tight biceps, although I know I overdid it with the carries this summer and my hands have had some aches I’m not used to. Also, my wife has been asking for more massages; I love giving them but man it’s hard on the hands.

The last few days I’ve been doing 100 band pull aparts and working on the seated good morning and deep split squat talked about in the calf standards thread. Really getting after some mobility stuff.

Friday, Nov 20/20
1) Power Clean: 135x5, 145x5, 170x5, 190x5.
Felt good, no dropping in my basement which sucks, kept it a bit lighter to ease back into it.

2) Overhead Press: 95x5, 105x5, 125x5, 140x5. I was shocked how hard this was. No barbell overhead presses in the last year. I thought I was starting light on the weights but this is a great starting point.

3) 2 X KB Press: 24kgx10

4) Pullups: 5x5

5) Split Squat: 106x5, 140x5, 176x5. Done with double kettlebells held at the sides.

6) L-Sit: 30 seconds on rings.

Derksenchr(chr('039')039chr('039'))s Training Log
12-03-20 02:37 PM - Post#905247    

Welp... last workout was almost 2 weeks ago. Crashed and just never got up from it. I did the occasional mobility day with some deep lunges and stretches, but no working out or weights.

And I feel great! I'm more productive at work, head is clearer, sleeping and feeling better, mood is better overall. Exercise is supposed to give those benefits, not prevent them. Obviously with where work and life is at for me right now an easy 531 2 day a week template is just not happening. The bar for this needs to be set really low and workouts need to be short and quick (15-20 mins tops) with NO option for going longer and adding more. For the sake of longevity I have to cap myself.

So the last week has been spent thinking and reading. This last summer I tried Dan John's easy strength (the EES version) for the first time and I loved it so much I quit doing it. Really. How is that a real thing... after reading it a million times I should know better.

So starting this evening I'm going to begin my swim through the easiest of easy strength. No jumping to harder programs because it feels great, no getting distracted, no adding any extras, no caring about load or %'s or even if I make any progress at all. Heck, maybe for fun I'll just lift the empty bar if that's what I have to do! Just a couple lifts for 10 total easy reps with whatever weight I feel like lifting and never struggling.

After re-reading the rules and the thread from Kyle and Jordan I decided to start at the bottom end of easy so consistency will be as easy as possible.

Starting with 4 movements - 3 of them put together to make it super easy! 3-5 days a week. Workouts don't even need to be workouts, sets can be done throughout the evening if need be if a 'focused' workout session just isn't going to happen. Rest periods 5-15 mins or an hour who even cares. 1-5 rep range. No rigidity, no structure, no progression. Just lift and move and enjoy myself and when the moves are getting stale after 2 or 4 or 6 weeks then pick some new ones and keep on.

Easy Strength Cycle 1:
Clean, Front Squat, Push Press (all in one)
Pull-ups - can weight if desired and is easy
Ab Wheel

AND THAT'S IT DANGIT. When it feels awesome I will resist the temptation to add more and let those creeping thoughts of 'but what about rows, but what about squats, but what about... NOPE!' This is the work I'm doing and that's it I did it I'm done.

Maybe, just maybe I'll stick to this and even easier strength can become my regular program and this endless cycle of running after shiny new objects can end. It's the reason I joined this forum in the first place.



Edited by Jordan Derksen on 12-03-20 02:38 PM. Reason for edit: No reason given.

12-03-20 07:56 PM - Post#905260    

Thursday Dec 3/20
Clean and Push Press: 115x5, 115x5
Pullups: 4x5
Ab Wheel: 5 reps

Decided to dump the front squat from the clean and push press. Keeping this super simple to start off. Did this over the course of about an hour while making supper. It’s so nice to break this up like that. I may be starting too light and not doing ‘enough’ but at this point under training is better than overdoing it yet again.

JoDerk
12-03-20 08:11 PM - Post#905263    

• Jordan Derksen Said:

Hey ho, tell me all about it....
It's great that you listen to your "total situation" and restart wisely.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

12-05-20 06:42 PM - Post#905344    

Friday, Dec 4/20
Clean and Push Press: 135x5, 135x5
Pullups +20lb: 3,3,3
L-Sit: 20s

Saturday Dec 5/20
Decided to do some testing today. Used Dan’s 2 movements for testing. Short warmup and I tried to set a solid number for both to compare again after 40 days.
Standing Long Jump: 7’ 5”
Farmers Walk 2 x 40kg KB’s: 252’

Set a ‘sorta max’ in each. I also thought about working up with the clean and push press to a sorta max but decided to call it after those two tests. Maybe this next week I’ll go after a sorta max if it’s feeling particularly good one day.

12-07-20 09:23 PM - Post#905417    

Easy Strength Cycle 1: Power Clean and Push Press

Monday Dec 7/20
Day 1:
Clean and Push Press: 135x5, 135x5
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 48x5, 48x5 (48 = Double 24's)
Suitcase Carry: 24x59m each side

Gonna use the double kettlebell front squat to keep a light squatting motion going. I won't be adding any weight through the whole cycle, I just want to use it as maintenance.

I'll also be rotating through loaded carries every workout; type, distance and load.

40 days cycle 1 here we go.

12-08-20 08:56 PM - Post#905449    

Day 2
Tuesday Dec 8/20
Clean and Push Press: 135, 135
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 with 2x24
Double KB Rack Carry: 40m with 2x24

12-09-20 08:43 PM - Post#905487    

Day 3
Wednesday Dec 9/20
Clean and Push Press: 135x5, 155x3, 175x2. Not much of a struggle.
Pull-up: 5, 20x3, 35x2
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 with 2x24
Waiter Walk: 24kg. Did each side separately. Walked around upstairs not sure how far.

Definitely felt a bit tired today, but because everything was so short and easy I had no problem getting it done anyway.

My wife is excited about what I'm doing. Made her a quick easy strength program and now she's following along. At the end she says, "that was so easy!" Yup... that's the idea. The point is to show up again tomorrow.

12-11-20 10:31 PM - Post#905561    

Day 4

Thursday Rest Day

Day 5
Friday Dec 11/20
Clean and Push Press: 135x5, 135x5. Easy peasy
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 with 2x24kg
Farmer Walk: 100m with 2x24kg

I can't remember the last time I did a workout at 9pm in the evening. After 7pm is my absolute latest cut off, if it's not done by then it ain't getting done. It's been at least 5 years.

This is brilliant. This is why easy strength is actually going to work for me. Consistency trumps intensity at this point in my life. An intense program won't work if you don't actually get in there and do it. But this? Doesn't matter if the results aren't spectacular because if it's this easy to get done and I can actually stay consistent on this I know at least I'm gonna get something out of it.

This is awesome. I was completely dead after a week of work, on the couch shut down on a Friday evening. But after sitting there for a bit, I figured you know what, I can get this done quick. Bam, got up and did it. This is what I'm talking about.

Also, I should note because it's my log and it's activity. I started biking to work this week. It's a dual purposed attempt to save money (by uninsuring a car and saving some gas) and to boost my base level of activity to counteract all the desk work. Interesting time to start it with canadian winter and all but it just came to me the other day. It's been interesting with icy roads and low temps (and it's only gonna get worse), but I just dress appropriately and it's actually been really fun so far. It's the easiest way to get some activity and cardio in - not sure why I never thought of it before. Bike instead of drive. I live about 3km from work, it's about a 12 minute bike ride at a reasonable pace. So I've been getting almost 25 mins of bike riding at a good pace every day now on top of my workouts.

Not sure why I never took a big interest in cycling before, but it's actually really fun and it wakes me up nicely for work. Especially when its below 0 C.

Done is done....undo and do...it gets done
12-12-20 02:24 PM - Post#905570    

• Jordan Derksen Said:

Splendid! Keep talking .
Keep doing....even when you do not think you can do or will do...
..and sometimes it is legit to take a break, too.
Roll with it.
Cool.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

12-12-20 09:29 PM - Post#905590    

Saturday Dec 12/20
Wow how is it the 12th of December already...
Clean and Push Press: 135x5, 135x5
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 with 2x24kg
One KB Rack Carry: 32kgx40m each side

12-16-20 08:25 PM - Post#905765    

Missed Monday. Some life stuff happening.

Tuesday Dec 15/20
Clean and Push Press: 135x5, 135x5
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 with 2x24kg
Suitcase Walk: 80mx24kg each side

Wednesday Dec 16/20
Clean and Push Press: 135, 155, 175, 185, 195, 205
Pull-up: 1, 20lb, 35, 53, 70, 80
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 with 2x24kg
Double KB Rack Carry: 60m with 2x24kg

Today was good. Weights felt really good. The last pullup was definitely harder, I would say almost 90% effort. The clean and push press wasn’t too bad. I went a bit higher than I thought I would, the final rep I would say felt like 80% effort. Again left those front squats as easy.

12-18-20 08:43 AM - Post#905805    

Thursday Dec 17/20
Clean and Push Press: 95x10
Pull-up: 10
Double KB Front Squat: 10 with 2x24kg

Nice and easy tonic day.

Derksenchr('039')s Training Log
12-18-20 08:52 PM - Post#905828    

• Jordan Derksen Said:

I don't know..... it is the 19th all of a sudden! It's spinning out of control for sure.

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

12-20-20 10:54 AM - Post#905851    

It really is! Especially since having my son I can’t believe how fast time goes these days.

Saturday Dec 19/20
Clean and Push Press: 135x5, 135x5
Pull-up: 5, 20x5
Double KB Front Squat: 1x10 with 2x24kg
Farmer Walk: 80m with 2x24kg

12-22-20 09:05 AM - Post#905879    

Week 3 now, doing some same but different. Changed some of the explosive moves for grinds.

Monday Dec 21/20
Double KB Clean and Press: 5, 5 with 2x24kg
Deadlift: 245x5, 245x5
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 5, 5
Suitcase Carry: 24kg x 60m each side.

Switched up to double kettlebell clean and press. Keeping the kettlebell cleans in keeps a bit of explosive work in, but went down to a strict press instead of push press. Added in the deadlift as a big hinge movement to replace the barbell clean.

Started getting headaches from tight neck and traps. Likely from the almost daily practice of ballistic movements like the barbell clean and push press. Gonna have to work on getting some of that tension out of there over the next few weeks. Hopefully the stricter movements will help with that.

12-26-20 06:02 PM - Post#906022    

Been keeping up with workouts this week. Just forgot to post.

Tuesday Dec 22/20
Double KB Clean and Press: 5, 5 with 2x24kg
Deadlift: 245x5, 245x5
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 5, 5
One Side Rack Carry: 32x60m

Thursday Dec 24/20
Double KB Clean and Press: 24x5, 32x3, 32x2
Deadlift: 245x5, 285x3, 335x2
Double KB Front Squat: 24x5, 32x3, 32x2
One Side Rack Carry: 32x60m each side

Saturday Dec 26/20
Double KB Clean and Press: 24x5, 24x5
Deadlift: 245x5, 245x5
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 24x5, 24x5
Farmer Walk: 32x80m

Been doing OS resets regularly since tuesday and I am feeling really good. Still get a bit dizzy from some of them but it's getting better. The 335 deadlift was not hard, but it has been a while since I hit a weight even close to that. Friday I spent the day feeling pretty sore in places I hadn't been sore in for a long time.

12-28-20 10:09 PM - Post#906096    

Monday Dec 28/20
Deadlift: 245x5, 245x5
Double KB Clean and Press: 24kgx5, 24x5
Pullup: 20x5, 20x5
Suitcase Carey: 32kgx60m each side

12-29-20 03:25 PM - Post#906124    

Sweet work going on here, brother! You and me both on the soreness. I fixed my pullup situation and got sore pecs! lol

Cheers and merry new year!

• Jordan Derksen Said:

Diablo Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth- MT

12-29-20 08:12 PM - Post#906133    

Hey thanks for checking in Diablo! Ya, things are going well! I’m keeping it light enough that if I need to I can jump in no warmup and get it done. The consistency is just happening. Easy strength works!

Tuesday Dec 29/20
All singles today
Double KB Clean and Press: 24, 24, 32, 32, 40, 40.
Deadlift: 245, 275, 305, 335, 385
Double KB Front Squat: 24, 24, 32, 32, 40, 40
Pullup: 20, 35, 53, 70, 88x2

Warmed up by shoveling the driveway. I was in a bit of a mood today, feeling tired and short fused. Got downstairs and saw my weights. ‘Eff it’ I thought to myself. No warmup, just got started and worked through it. Surprised myself. The clean and press was a struggle, but not as much as I expected. Forgot to do my last deadlift and I’ve already unloaded the bar so whatever. The pullup really surprised me. Last time I worked up to 80 and it was kinda hard. I did a rep with my 40kg kettlebell and it was kinda so easy I did a second one without dropping off the rings. The second rep was definitely hard.

Easy strength really really works. Even if I never improve on the numbers I hit today, who even cares. To maintain numbers like this on this little work feels like cheating.

Probably gonna be in a bit of a fog tomorrow. In my slightly frustrated state I took my mood out on the weights and went a bit harder than I maybe ‘should’ have. But the therapy was worth it.

12-31-20 05:27 PM - Post#906183    

Thursday Dec 31/20
Deadlift: 245x5, 245x5
Double KB Clean and Press: 24kgx5, 24x5
Pull-up: 5, 5
Double KB Front Squat: 24kgx5, 24x5
Farmer Walk: 24kg for 120m

Wow. Felt a little extra heavy today. Moved through it easily. Obviously fatigued from going hard on Tuesday.

01-01-21 04:21 AM - Post#906191    

Solid

Diablo Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth- MT

01-05-21 09:27 AM - Post#906347    

Thanks!

Friday Jan 1/21
And then it was 2021...
Deadlift: 275x5, 275x5
Double KB Clean and Press: 3x5 @ 24kg bells
Pull-up: 2x5 @ 20lb
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 32kg

Monday Jan 4/21
Deadlift: 2x5 @ 275
Double KB Clean and Press: 3x5 @ 24kg bells
Pull-up: 3x5
Front Squat: 2x5 @ 185

Bumped up my base level deadlift to 275. It feels the same as 245.
Added a 3rd set on my half body lifts: the clean & press and pullups. I have felt the last little bit that I might not be doing enough 'work'.
Lastly, switched up the double kettlebell front squats for regular front squats. All the double kettlebell work plus deadlifts and carries has given my upper back a beating, and my legs just aren't getting enough work from such light squats. A barbell front squat will shift the focus more onto the legs. It felt really easy after 4 weeks of double kettlebell front squats. All front squat sets will be cleaned from the floor. Sure... it only amounts to 2 or 3 power cleans, but it allows me to keep 'practicing' that movement in a very minor sense. Limiting myself to 'from the floor' will really help keep the squat weight in check.

01-05-21 10:23 AM - Post#906355    

Nice work in here, Jordan. "From the floor" is a great choice (although so are double KB front squats; it sounds like you've seen that the bar doesn't feel as heavy as it "should" after only doing such light double KB squats for awhile).

01-05-21 08:19 PM - Post#906404    

Tuesday Jan 5/21
Double KB Clean and Press: 3x5 @ 24kg
Pull-up: 3x5
Deadlift: 2x5 @ 275lb
Front Squat: 2x5 @ 185lb
L-sit: 15s

Switching loaded carries out for some direct ab work for the next few weeks.

01-08-21 10:01 AM - Post#906494    

Thursday Jan 7/21
Double KB Clean and Press: 24x5, 32x3, 40x1
Pull-up: 20x5, 53x3, 70x2
Deadlift: 225x5, 275x3, 315x2

Really feeling it today. Pushed it too much at the beginning of the week. So I'm dropping back down to 10 reps for the clean and press and pullups. Also gonna drop the deadlift back down a bit. I got that achy trained too hard feeling.

I'm considering going back to the double KB front squats, just to keep the barbell loading to a minimum. We'll see how I feel for my next workout.

01-09-21 06:43 PM - Post#906539    

Saturday January 9/21
Double KB Clean and Press: 2x5 @ 24kg
Pull-up: 2x5
Deadlift: 2x5 @ 225
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 32kg
Push-ups: 10
One Arm KB Row: 32x10
L-sit: 15s

Back to the KB front squats. Lighter deadlifts again. Still ‘feeling it’ today, a little run down. Gonna enjoy tomorrow off.

01-16-21 09:31 PM - Post#906830    

Time to update this. I took a few days off this week to climb out of the hole I dug myself into. Started working out again thursday. Gonna be strict about the 80% hard upper limit this time around. Going over that a few times with deadlifts didn't do me any favors.

Also, it's week 4, and in the spirit of freshness I'm going to cycle out a few moves.

Thursday January 14/21
Sumo Deadlift: 2x5 @ 225
Double KB Clean and Press: 2x5 @ 24kg
Pull-up: 2x5
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg

Friday January 15/21
Sumo Deadlift: 2x5 @ 225
Double KB Clean and Press: 2x5 @ 24kg
Pull-up: 2x5
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg

Saturday January 16/21
Sumo Deadlift: 2x5 @ 225
Incline Bench: 2x5 @ 155
One Arm Row: 2x5 @ 32kg
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg
L-Sit: 15s

Settling on sumo deadlifts to take the load off the lower back - and I haven't ever really focused on them, incline bench, and I wanted a change from pullups for a bit. Not sold on one arm rows, I may switch that up to Dan's favorite, the barbell curl. We'll see what I decide on Monday.

Feeling much better already, I really didn't get myself in too deep of water as recovery came quick.

And, my favorite thing about this program is switching up the movements. When I get a little bored it's easy to freshen up and keep going. I don't have to do the same 4 big moves forever on repeat.

01-23-21 04:35 PM - Post#907110    

Monday January 18/21
Sumo Deadlift: 2x5 @ 225
Incline Bench: 2x5 @ 135
Barbell Curl: 2x5 @ 65lb
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg
L-Sit: 15s

Tuesday January 19/21
Sumo Deadlift: 3x3 @ 225
Incline Bench: 3x3 @ 135, 145, 155
Barbell Curl: 2x5 @ 65lb
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg
L-Sit: 15s

Saturday January 23/21
Sumo Deadlift: 2x5 @ 225
Incline Bench: 2x5 @ 155
Barbell Curl: 2x5 @ 75lb
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg
L-Sit: 15s

01-24-21 09:58 AM - Post#907124    

• Jordan Derksen Said:

Important. Then the WO gets done and it doesn't feel like a chore.
Keep up the good work, man!

Aut viam inveniam aut faciam.

01-28-21 08:40 PM - Post#907288    

Thanks!

Tuesday January 26/21
Sumo Deadlift: 2x5 @ 225
Incline Bench: 2x5 @ 155
Barbell Curl: 2x5 @ 65lb
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg
L-Sit: 15s

Wednesday January 27/21
Sumo Deadlift: 3x3 @ 225
Incline Bench: 3x3 @ 155, 165, 175
Bodyweight Row: 2x8
Double KB Front Squat: 2x5 @ 24kg, 32kg
L-Sit: 15s

Barbell curls are firing up the elbows, so I'm switching them out for bodyweight rows on my rings with feet elevated. Performed nice and slow to make them harder.