Twenty by 40 by 2020 - Journey Back to Where I Was 20 Years Ago

Back on the road for a week so will be doing limited workouts.

In an exciting start to the day, had an emergency landing on way from Boston to DC! Would guess I’ve probably taken 400-500 flights in my life and this is the first time that’s ever happened. No big deal but don’t need coffee now!

That’s still probably faster than driving to DC during rush hour!

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Key West the last 2 days - exercise was just walking around a couple miles each day.

2/15-17

Lots of walking.

2/18

Trying to start back on the track.

  1. 1 mile jog
  2. Skipping and hopping and high knees etc. 10-12 mins warmup
  3. 6x100 m intervals w 1’ rest. Didn’t time but ran at about 16-17” each.
  4. 1 mile walk jog recovery
  5. Football and waves w kids on Beach.
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So I’m trying to figure out a new program design plan/template that allows me to go through a rotation, realizing that I will without question be traveling 10 days per month for the foreseeable future - so want to get my planned work in every day that I’m not traveling, and then when traveling, just assume I won’t do anything, but if I do, try to do body weight or treadmill. Build some sort of progression into all the different workouts in the rotation.

A six day rotation:

Day 1 - Higher Intensity Lifting with a Metcon - Deadlift/Squat - Probably follow a light OL warm-up (no more than 80% for singles and doubles) then Squat or Deadlift - doubles and triples to warm-up then either 5/3/1, 5x5 or 8x3 (likely where I’ll go) with a higher rep AMRAP set to finish. This sort of set up has traditionally worked well for me. During a GPP period, likely to do something more like 6x6 until I am feeling pretty good about my ability to tolerate volume.
Day 2 - Lower Intensity lifting (Body Building Type circuit 5-6 exercises in a complex with 3-4 rounds in complex) plus Short Distance Acceleration work - Starting with 10m runs and progressing out to 50m - always 200-400m volume - with proper warm-up (maybe 1/2 mile to a mile of jogging and a good dynamic warm-up).
Day 3 - Heavier Olympic Lifting - metcon afterward - would be snatch up to some heavy singles (90% of training max) - total volume of 25 reps, same with Clean. Likely some snatch and clean high pulls to finish. Metcon optional.
Day 4 - Intervals - Starting with 100’s - gradually moving out to 200-300m repeats - always getting at least 1000m volume - likely at some point getting up to 2000m volume. Maintaining same speed (say 15s 100m pace) until up to 2000m volume, and then gradually increasing pace and increasing recovery period. Light body building work here as well.
Day 5 - Lifting Technical - Plus some sort of extra movement - could be easy plyos, sled pulls, etc
Day 6 - Track Technical - Throwing - but some extra running volume (easy strides in my warm-up and cool down).
During Week - whenever home - some swings, shoulder hypertrophy, and curls - when I wake up (for easy extra volume, and because I’d like my arms and shoulders to be better).

Given that travel is a constant, I could move the days around. Also not sure I like that the last 2 days are both pretty low intensity. And first 2 are pretty high, so order might be wrong. The above 6 sessions gets me about 12 hours of total work per 6 sessions - which would be directionally where I’d like to get to - and would have huge benefits for me in body comp, and performance. Would also likely incorporate some level of OLs in warm-up for Heavy days, and some sort of squat and/or speed pulls in warm-up or wrap up on heavier OL days. Don’t think I have time for any more than that, and even that might be tough to fit in.

Thoughts on order of the days and general progression template on the lifts? I’m comfortable with the progression model on the running.

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I’d suggest placing the days where they fit your travel schedule the best. Back to back heavy days before a travel weekend could be good. Back to back light days before several days off might not work as well.

For some reason we’ve all learned to think in terms of weeks. I think you’d benefit from broadening your focus to the month. Get X amount of sessions in a month or get workouts XYZ done a certain number of times in the month.

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Yeah, I like that flexibility and agree, 2 hard days before 2 days off or just moving around at the beach - would not be taxing, may even be beneficial. And focus on month just get the 6 sessions in before I repeat the cycle. Get through cycle 4x (24 sessions) before modifying to next phase. This would very much be a GPP phase between now and say 3/31 (realistically will take my 6 weeks to get through all that) then modify next phase depending on health, injuries, next phase of work, etc.

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2/19 - Just got back from travel - did a rowing tempo workout to just get the blood moving. Didn’t push too hard - but not slow either. Did 1’ rest between the 100-200-300-400-500 rows, then 2’ rest after 600-700-800-900. Times:

  • 100: 22
  • 200: 43
  • 300: 1’06"
  • 400: 1’28"
  • 500: 1’45"
  • 600: 2’16"
  • 700: 2’39"
  • 800: 2’59"
  • 900: 3’27"
  • 1k: 3’41"

Total distance of 5500m
Total rowing time of 20’26"
Average 500m pace of 1’51"

Felt pretty good (not too trashed) throughout - although 1k was only tough row, because I purposely went out slow and did first 250m at 2’05" pace, and then kept getting faster each subsequent 250m.

2/20 - first day 1 of 6 workout cycle

High hang snatch warmup 3x45-65-75-95-115-125-135-145
Squat - 3x65-95-155-185-205-235 then
8x3 at 265 EMOM

Metcon - 3 rounds of
5 Snatch 115#
10 Wall balls 25#
45”-44”34”

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It looks like you got the lead out on round three!

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Yeah - round 3 just did the snatches touch and go rather than dropping and resetting.

2/23

Had a couple 13 hour days + commutes so was not up for workouts last 2 days. Today was first session of “Day 2”:

  1. Warm-up: 50 calories on Aerdyne, and about 8-10 minutes of dynamic warm-up - skips, high knees, butt kicks, fast leg cycles, leg swings, etc.
  2. Standing LJ: 5 reps at 6’-6’6"-7’-7’6"-8’-8’6"- 5 reps at 9’
  3. 10x12m easy acceleration runs with walk back recovery - working on mechanics
  4. 10x12m prowler pushes with sled +45 - going as fast as I could working on shin angles to replicate sprint starts
  5. Dumbbell complex 3x15
  • Curls with 25# DBs
  • Tricep Ext (overhead) with 40# DB
  • 3 position lateral raises (front-side-rear) with 15# DBs
  • 15 walking lunges with 25# DBs

This was first day on this rotation, so I’m feeling things out to see how my body responds. 9’ - while 2’ my best Standing LJ - is pretty good for being 10 or more pounds overweight and first time doing this in a couple years (or maybe 3) - so my explosiveness is kind of still there.

2/24 - did a day 5 session today:

I’m doing some work at TPS in Boston area - where I just love the vibe. Great facility, a bunch of monster lifters - I’m seeing 800 lb pulls and 700 lb squats on Saturday mornings.

Having a guy work on my OL technique and programming. Will probably start training here within next few months. For time being just a couple sessions.

Today was just technique work and evaluation of my current state. Learned a ton of new cues I’m pretty excited about. Dude working w me is like 170 and hits 250 snatches and 320 clean and jerks. A couple big changes in how I will set up and how I will hit my contact and first pull.

Didn’t do any lifts worth noting or work on catch - but the positions I was in and where I felt tension and body awareness were super useful and I can tell where I’m weak in ways I didn’t know before.

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2/25

Did my Day 4 today - Intervals

  1. 1 mile of walk/strides to warm-up - the strides were anywhere from 30-100m at easy pace - like a mile run pace (say 20s per 100m
  2. Skips, high knees, butt kicks, etc
  3. 3x30 faster build-ups (not all out, but pretty quick)
  4. 8x100m (so not quite up to 1000m yet, will get to 10x100m then go 10x110 and so on). These were run quickly enough to get winded, but not so fast as to need recovery. Had 1’ rest in between each run. All runs from 16.5-17.4" with last one at 15.4"
  5. 5 standing shot put throws, mostly around 34-35’

I would have done more throws, but it was pouring rain, and only 38 degrees, so my hands/fingers were cold and tight, and ground was slippery.

The last 100m was more to feel out my running conditioning level. It is not good, although this again was in the rain and cold. By the time it warms up and my volume is up, I should be doing 10x150-200m at that same pace. The good thing is running speed comes back to 90% pretty quickly, and another 5% with improvements in body comp.

The last 5% is hard, and now that I’m in late 30’s am fighting the age clock as well as the stop watch. If I can get back down to hard training runs in 25" for the 200m, I will be really pleased.

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2/26 - did a sort of my day 3 rotation today

  1. Hang snatch x 3 at 45-75-105-135-145-135
  2. Front Squat 531 AFB 135-185-235 531 at 185-235-285
  3. Hang Clean 3x135-165-185-195-215
  4. Metcon 15 minute EMOM 5x through each of following
  • 10 goblet squats at 70
  • 10 push-ups (to a bench for me w my shoulder)
  • 10’calorie row

Was at my Crossfit gym today so kind of worked around their session to get my stuff in but warm-up was short so didn’t get many snatch or clean sets in.

Good amount of work relative to amount of time I had though.

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I don’t think I’ve ever run a 25-26 sec 200! Nice looking workout.

Yeah - I am not back there yet, but before my knee a few years ago, I could do 4-5 in that range with a few minutes rest. And all out could do 23.low.

If I get back there - that’s a year away. My stride length is limiting factor right now - which is driven by extra body weight and not running much.

This has a huge effect on me. I played baseball for two years in college and walked on to a D 2 basketball team with my 5th year of eligibility. None of that had me running at top speed so I never developed the skills associated with running fast. I try now but it’s pathetic (when I’m healthy). I’m not even sure I can run all out without risking injury. I mean, I never did it when I was young so why would my 33 year old body be able to do it now?

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Only way to get fast without injury is gradual build up. You obviously have the fast twitch to be very fast. You just don’t want to go run an all out 100m. You do some all out 10m then 15 then 20. Under 25m there is limited injury (besides maybe a calf).

But it’s amazing what sprint speed does for basketball or football or whatever. Even though I haven’t run much for years, if our gym has a 1/2 mile or mile run, there will be fitter and leaner guys who struggle to go under 3’ for half mile or 7’ for a mile - which is jogging for me, even out of shape bc I still have more speed reserve than probably 99% of population, even when I’m detrained.

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