Saturday 12/31
4.7-Mile Run (46 Minutes)
Reflections on 2016 / Goals for 2017:
First, 2016 was a very satisfying year from a fitness standpoint. I had pursued and achieved several goals in long-distance running from 2008-2012, but walked away from that with some recurring injuries, and for most of 2013-2014, I was really spinning my wheels fitness-wise. I started logging on here somewhere in that time, picked up a heavy barbell for the first time in awhile sometime in August 2015, and made this a thing. Originally I “just” wanted to reach a deadlift of 405 pounds, but that fell sooner than anticipated and I ratcheted the goal up to 500 pounds. That, too, fell in the calendar year 2016.
I’ve also started running again. Not so far or so fast as I once did, but just far and just fast enough to enjoy the pleasure and satisfaction of a good run. My wife is happy about this, as we’ve both had fun being able to go out and run together. I have no speed or racing goals at this time, merely a desire to run 10 miles (we’ve done a 7-mile loop several times, and I have mapped out a 10-mile course which would be a really nice run around the city) at a pace that passes for a “jog” and not a “walk” (between 9-10 minutes per mile).
For a little while, I was settled on the goals of maintaining the 500 deadlift and completing that 10 mile run. But over the past week I’d been having recurring thoughts that I could set that strength goal higher, and now some discussion on the “600 deadlift possible for everyone?” thread has me thinking that yes, I should set that strength goal a little higher.
Thus…the 2017 ActivitiesGuy training goals:
Deadlift 1x585
KB Press 1x106
Run 10 Miles
And now…the first workout of 2017…
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Sunday 1/1/2017
Deadlift
1x135
1x135
1x225
1x225
1x315
1x315
1x405
1x425
1x445
1x465
1x495
1x495
Leg Press
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200
10x200
Pleased with a pair of singles at 495. See post above for notes on my 2017 goals…
Monday 1/2
8.3-Mile Run (78 Minutes)
Tuesday 1/3
Deadlift
1x135
1x135
1x225
1x225
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
1x315
Wednesday 1/4
2.5-Mile Run (25 Minutes)
Thursday 1/5
2-Mile Run (17 Minutes)
So at my old job, I used to bike (or occasionally run) to work. When I changed jobs, I stopped doing that, for a couple reasons, but lately I’d been thinking that for days when I have to be in the office extra-early, it would be useful (i.e. instead of waking up at 5, working out at 5:45, hustling to be in the shower at 6:15 so I can leave at 6:30 and be in the office by 7, I can sleep in a little more, run from my apartment to the office and already be at work when I take my shower). Today was the inaugural run to work. Probably will continue this about once a week, whenever I have to be in the office promptly at 7.
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Friday 1/6
Dumbbell Circuit (20 Minutes)
Assortment of shoulder raises, curls, presses.
Saturday 1/7
Deadlift
1x135
1x135
1x225
1x225
1x315
1x315
1x405
1x405
1x455
1x455
1x495
1x495
1x495
Leg Press
8x200
8x200
8x200
8x200
8x200
8x200
8x200
8x200
DB Press
1x85
1x85
1x90
1x90
1x95
1x95
1x100
1x100
KB Snatch
20x45
Several fun happenings here:
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Three singles at 495 is a volume PR. I think I’m getting to the point where 495 is an every-week weight (not an “every workout” weight, necessarily, but a weight that I can pull in every heavy weekend workout).
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More exciting…before starting my workout today, I spoke to a stout older gentleman who is the owner of a nearby building which he leases out to two girls that run a CrossFit gym. I had sent an email to the two girls before asking about whether I could train there as an “open gym” type member, but they said they did not allow members to do their own programming, everyone was required to do the WOD (understandably; otherwise all classes would turn into a complete zoo). Fortunately, this gentleman is a longtime powerlifting enthusiast and said, possibly, he would work on a way for me to have access to this gym at a few selected times; he also owns the equipment, and said that he would love to give me the chance to work on some really good stuff rather than the basic “commercial gym” setup that I’ve been working with.
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EDIT: forgot to mention this, but one of the gym trainers (politely) told me that they had gotten some complains about my use of chalk, which definitely makes today’s chat with this gentleman a timely thing. The gym has generally tolerated my heavy pulling well, but I am definitely an odd duck in a gym full of people who are mostly hanging out by the dumbbell rack or on machines. I don’t get why it’s that big a deal - I basically keep to myself in one corner of the gym, and since no one else really does ANY heavy pulling or squatting, I don’t directly bother anyone - but as we all know, some people are just intimidated by the sight of anyone else doing hard work, so rattling plates and chalk give them something to complain about.
I don’t know exactly what will happen yet, but I am beyond excited at the possibility of getting what could amount to my own personal deadlift facility…complete with chains, bands, and a reverse hyper? Forecast: cloudy with a chance of GAINS…
4 Likes
Raise the bar again…635 
1 Like
Hey AG
Have you ever done one of the Tactical Strength Challenge?
Might suit you for a place to compete.
Hey @treco,
I read the StrongFirst website regularly (in fact, for most of last year my training was inspired by a program they posted called the “Daily Dose Deadlift” program) and own a couple of StrongFirst tee-shirts since I feel that my goals are, as you noted, most aligned with the StrongFirst approach to things. I have given some consideration to a TSC, but I would need to work on my kettlebell endurance quite a bit (I have good top-end strength, but have never really trained hard enough to go up to the 100+ snatches necessary to be competitive with these guys). Definitely a thing that is on my radar at some point…I’ll see what happens over the next year or two. At this point, my deadlift progress has me considering a deadlift-only appearance at a PL meet or a push-pull meet just for the sake of seeing if I can log a 600-pound deadlift in an official capacity…
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Sunday 1/8
5-Mile Run (47 Minutes)
Bitterly cold and windy here, so I stuck with a slightly shorter loop for today’s “long run.”
Monday 1/9
Kettlebell Swings & Dumbbell Circuit (20 Minutes)
Also of note:
I spent some time yesterday afternoon chatting with the aforementioned stout gentleman and checking out the equipment in his gym. To clarify: he owns the “space” (a former furniture store, I believe) and keeps his own personal equipment (belt squat machine; reverse hyper; GHD; chains; bands; assortment of barbells and plates; some other fancy toys that I’m not sure how to use yet) lined up along one wall, but he leases the space to 2 girls that run a CrossFit box who have the usual assortment of Rogue bars, cages, and plates in the remainder of the gym. He trains there using his own equipment but makes a point to go in at “off” times when there is no CrossFit class; our personalities meshed well and it sounds like he’s basically willing to let me come in and train with him for free as long as we stay out of the way of the CrossFitters.
I could not have stumbled into a more ideal training situation, to be honest, that suits me and my approach so perfectly. Of course it is tempting to start playing with all of the new toys immediately, but being a methodical and scientific guy and a training minimalist, I plan on introducing new stimuli “one at a time” every few weeks. I think for the next month, my plan will be to start pulling with chains on my “light” deadlift day (Wednesday) while retaining a standard pull-heavy day on Saturday, and probably adding some reverse hypers as well. More fancy stuff with the belt squat machine and other stuff can be added later once I have an idea how I’ve been responding to each new thing.
4 Likes
Tuesday 1/10
2-Mile Run (17 Minutes)
Tuesdays will be the common “run to work” day, since we have Grand Rounds every Tuesday morning at 7:30. The time-saving two-birds-with-one-stone (workout + commute) is most effective for me on a day like that.
Wednesday 1/11
Deadlift
5x135
5x135
2x225
2x225
2x225 + 40-lbs chain
2x225 + 40-lbs chain
2x225 + 90-lbs chain
2x225 + 90-lbs chain
2x225 + 90-lbs chain
2x225 + 90-lbs chain
2x225 + 90-lbs chain
2x225 + 90-lbs chain
2x225 + 130-lbs chain
2x225 + 130-lbs chain
Reverse Hypers
10x180
10x180
10x180
First day training with my new partner…and wow, this is going to be awesome. The only downside, and it’s a small inconvenience, is that we’ll kinda have to work our training times around the CrossFitters. But that is a small price to pay. What an awesome setup, and great energy. Deadlifting with the heavy chains was super cool, and is a nice addition to my training.
If this goes well for the next 3-4 weeks, I will eventually cancel my membership at the regular commercial gym, although it will still remain a nice backup option (I’ll just drop in and pay the daily rate) if my buddy goes out of town or our schedules make it difficult to find a mutual time every so often.
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What were the chains like man? How did they feel? Think they’ll have good carryover to your standard deadlift? Glad everything is working out so well.
Thursday 1/12
3-Mile Run (27 Minutes)
Friday 1/13
Psuedo-Strongman-Style Training
A. Clean & Press Medley + Farmer’s Walks
Clean & Press 1x135
Clean & Press 1x165
Clean & Press 1x195
100-ish yard walk 2x75 kettlebells
Five rounds
B. Power Cleans
1x195
1x205
1x225
1x235
1x255*
Up to 235 the cleans were pretty good. 255 turned into to an ugly semi-continental-like thing but I did get it racked. This was my first time doing any sort of power cleans in a year or so; now that I have access to all these new toys…
C. Belt Squat exercise from hell
My partner showed me this absolutely brutal thing that I can barely even explain involving plates, bands, and the belt squat machine. I can’t really describe it, but it sure as hell did something, and I think this will be great for my deadlift.
D. Reverse Hypers
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