ActivitiesGuy Log III: StrongFirst Kettlebells & Deadlifts

Tuesday 2/6

Deadlift

5x135
1x225
1x315
1x405
1x405
1x405
1x405
1x405
1x405

1 Like

Wednesday 2/7

Deadlift

5x135
5x225
1x315
1x405
1x405
1x405
1x405
1x405
1x405

2 Likes

Thursday 2/8

Back Squat

2x135
2x165
2x195
2x225
2x255
2x285
2x315
2x315

Front Squat

2x135
2x165
2x195
2x225
2x255

I love my Daily Dose Deadlift, but I do like giving myself a “floating” squat day once a week. Oddly enough, and contrary to most people, I think I recover better from high-frequency (low volume!) deadlifts than I do from squats - last fall I was doing this with squats and felt like I ran myself a little too ragged - but this seems to work with 4-5 weekly deadlift sessions (low volume!) and one or two squatting sessions.

7 Likes

Friday 2/9

Deadlift

5x135
1x225
1x315
1x405
1x435
1x465
1x495
1x525

5 Likes

Perhaps it’s the lack of an eccentric movement with deads that allows you to do more (compared to squats)? When I think of my heavy Deadlift pulls and heavy squats the squats seem tougher in my head…and I’ve pulled 495 compared to a measly 365 on squats.

2 Likes

Saturday 2/10

Bikram Yoga (90 Minutes)

1 Like

It helps when you built for the lift. I recover from squats better as I am short and stocky. You are built for the deadlift.

Sunday 2/11

Front Squat

2x135
2x150
2x165
2x180
2x195
2x210
2x225
2x240
2x255
2x275

Back Squat

2x255
2x285
2x315
5x225

3 Likes

Monday 2/12

Deadlift

4x135
4x225
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315
4x315

Never to be repeated again: the 20,000 pound deadlift challenge. Starting from the first set at 315, I completed 16 sets of 4 dead-stop reps at 315 pounds for a total of 20,160 pounds in 19 minutes.

7 Likes

Close enough right? :wink:

Today I pulled the trigger on buying an IronMind sandbag. I don’t have a ton of space to expand the gym, but I’ve been thinking that I’d like to add another option for conditioning/Strongman type work, and that should fit the bill nicely. It will arrive late this week or early next, as I’m wrapping up my sixth week of the Daily Dose Deadlift program, so I might re-arrange my training at that time for a March/April training block that will look something like this:

Monday: Back Squat
Tuesday: Kettlebell/Sandbag Work
Wednesday: Front Squat
Thursday: Kettlebell/Sandbag Work
Friday: Back Squat
Saturday: Hot Yoga Class
Sunday: Deadlift

2 Likes

I absolutely LOVE the look of this layout. The hot yoga the day between the back squat and deadlifts will feel amazing. You can probably push the back squat that day since you gonna recover nicely the next day!

1 Like

Tuesday 2/13

Back Squat

5x135
5x165
5x195
2x225
2x255
2x285
2x315

Pretty sore after yesterday so light squats felt like the sensible choice tonight. Also, I bought 200 pounds of sand at Home Depot on my way home from work, so if my new IronMind sandbag arrives by the weekend, I may fill it up and start playing with it on Saturday or Sunday.

7 Likes

Wednesday 2/14

Back Squat

5x135
5x165
5x195
2x225
2x255
2x285
2x315
2x315
2x345

1 Like

Thursday 2/15

Back Squat

5x135
5x165
5x195
2x225
2x255
2x285
2x315
2x345
2x255
2x255

Friday 2/16

Back Squat

5x135
5x165
2x195
2x225
2x255
2x285
2x315
2x345
2x255
2x255

1 Like

Saturday 2/17

Front Squat

2x135
2x150
2x165
2x180
2x195
2x210
2x225
2x240
2x255

Back Squat

2x225
2x255
2x285
2x315
2x345

3 Likes

I miss squatting already

Sunday 2/18

Back Squat

5x135
5x150
5x165
5x180
5x195
2x225
2x240
2x255
2x270
2x285
2x300
2x315

My hamstrings have both felt pretty ginger since the godforsaken deadlift challenge, so this was a way to do lots of volume as part of the warmup without pushing any of the heavy sets.

My IronMind sandbag is still in transit, but should arrive this week. I’ll adopt the new, slightly more varied template mentioned above:

Monday: Back Squat
Tuesday: Kettlebell / Sandbag
Wednesday: Front Squat
Thursday: Kettlebell / Sandbag
Friday: Back Squat
Saturday: Hot Yoga Class
Sunday: Deadlift

5 Likes

Monday 2/19

Sandbag “Front Lifts”

16x1 (EMOM) @ 150 pounds

So I took my first step into the Strongman (ish) world tonight. After a couple years of exclusive barbell-focused training (which I still intend to be my bread & butter) it was time to add just a little variety, and I think some sandbag work will fit the bill (cheap, portable, doesn’t take much space, very versatile). I loaded the first three 50-pound bags of sand that I bought and just started “lifting” the thing to get the feel of it. I was basically doing a motion like I was loading a stone, except without a platform to load (so, basically, lift the bag & simulate the hip extension, then return to the floor). It was a lot of fun, will definitely be a solid addition to training as I get used to the sandbag and acquire more skills. I’d like to be able to shoulder it, walk around with it, etc. But tonight it was enough work to just get the thing loaded and then start figuring out what I could do with it.

6 Likes