Day 2 — Upper strength + hypertrophy

Use upper strength warm-up.

A. Bench Press

225 x 5
230 x 5
235 x 4
240 x 2
240 x 2
230 x 5 back-off
Rest 2:00 after first 2 sets
Rest 2:30 after 235
Rest 3:00 before and after 240 sets
RESULTS: 225, 230, 235 only 3 reps, 240, 240, 230 only 4 reps

B. Chest-Supported DB Row

3 x 8 @ 62s
1 x 6-8 @ 70s
Rest 75-90 sec
RESULTS: Done, last 2 reps of 70# slow and not perfect

C. Incline DB Press

70 x 6
62 x 10
62 x 10
Rest 90 sec
RESULTS: barely got last 2 reps of last set.

D. Half-Kneeling 1-Arm DB Press

35 x 8/side
35 x 8/side
44 x 5/side
35 x 8/side
Rest 20 sec between sides
Rest 60 sec between sets
RESULTS: done. 44# was ugly, but reinvigorated last set of 35 so that it felt easy! 44 not all reps were perfect.

E. Cable Face Pull

3 x 12-15
Use a load that keeps reps clean
Rest 45 sec
RESULTS: 85# x 15, 87.5 x 15, 87.5 x 12

Whew, this was tough, but got it done.  Working toward getting a sub 6 mile again.

DAY 6 — RUN WORKOUT: MILE SUPPORT

Warm-up

Easy jog — 8 min
Walking lunges — 10 total
Air squats — 10
Pogo hops — 20 sec
Relaxed strides — 2 x 20 sec
Easy jog/walk — 2 min

Workout

Option A — preferred if you can mark distance

6 x 400m
Rest 90 sec walk/jog
Pace target
Rep 1: 1:29-1:30
Rep 2: 1:29-1:30
Rep 3: 1:28-1:29
Rep 4: 1:28-1:29
Rep 5: 1:28
Rep 6: 1:28 or better

Option B — if distance is off again

6 x 90 sec hard
Rest 90 sec walk/jog
Goal: pace should feel like controlled mile support, not sprinting
Cool-down
Easy walk/jog — 8-10 min
Daily goal
Final rep equals or beats rep 2
Fast but relaxed

RESULTS: 1:30, 1:27, 1:28, 1:27, 1:28, 1:25

DAY 5 — UPPER STRENGTH + MIXED ENGINE

Warm-up

Easy bike or rope — 90 sec

2 rounds:
Band face pulls — 10
Tall-kneeling light DB press — 8
Bench-supported DB rows — 8
Burpees @ 70% — 6
Rest 30 sec between rounds
Empty-bar strict press — 2 x 5, rest 30 sec

Workout

A. Strict Press

Set 1: 110 x 3
Set 2: 115 x 3
Set 3: 120 x 3
Set 4: 120 x 3
Set 5: 122.5 x 2 if stacked and crisp
 If not, do 120 x 3
Rest:
2:00 after 110 and 115
2:30 before and after 120+
Goal: zero layback

RESULTS: 110#, 115#, 120#, 120#, 125# (I don’t have the ability to do 122.5 - but got this done. Last rep hard!)

B. 1-Arm Bench-Supported DB Row

4 x 8/side @ 70
Rest 20 sec between sides
Rest 60 sec between sets
RESULTS: No real problem but when I pull to my hip (back to my hip) it’s harder.

C. DB Floor Press

3 x 8 @ 70s
Rest 75 sec
Goal: fewer grinders than last week
RESULTS: Only slight grinder was the last rep of set 3.

D. Band Face Pull

3 x 20
Rest 30 sec
RESULTS: Done.  I have other options, not sure how m uch benefit this is doing for me unless there is some other reason to have it in there.  I do feel a slight burn at the end.

E. Mixed Engine — 4 rounds for time

400m run
15 wall balls @ 20
10 burpees
Rest exactly 2:00 between rounds
This is intentionally not an all-out death march. It is a repeatability workout.

Daily goal
Press stays clean
Each round of conditioning is within about 20 sec of the others
RESULT: 21:03 (about 5:17 per round)

After a day of rest, back felt just fine again.  Whew.  Dodged a bullet with the whole pulling on the socks thing and stopping the moment I felt something weird...

DAY 4 — POSTERIOR CHAIN + CARRIES

Warm-up

Easy bike — 3:00
KB deadlift with 35 — 10
Glute bridges — 10
Reverse lunges — 8/leg
Light trap bar reps — 2 x 5
Rest 30 sec between pieces

Workout

A. Broad Jump

4 x 2
Full reset
Rest 45 sec
RESULTS: Done. Why is volume going down over time? It’s fine, just curious.

B. Trap Bar Deadlift

EMOM 10: 3 reps @ 285
Goal: speed and perfect brace
If speed drops badly after round 8, stop at 8
RESULTS: Done, a bit easier than last time.

C. DB Reverse Lunge

3 x 8/leg @ 62s
Rest 20 sec between legs
Rest 75 sec between sets
RESULTS: Done, no real problem here.

D. Barbell Hip Thrust

4 x 8
Loads:
285
295
305
315 if form is clean
Rest 90 sec
RESULTS: Done, 315# was the first real challenge I’ve had with this movement.

E. Farmer Carry

5 x 60m @ 62s
Walk back and rest until breathing is mostly under control
Target rest: about 60-75 sec
RESULTS: Done, tough as always but succeeded.

F. Side Plank

3 x 30 sec/side
Rest 20 sec between sides
Rest 30 sec between sets
RESULTS: Not hard.  Done.

... ouch! Unbelievable.

I woke up stiff from yesterdays 60 minute zone 2 run, went to pull on my socks immediately after waking up, to go downstairs... toes get stuck on the rim of the sock, I pull, and i feel my back give way a bit!

I immediately stopped pulling, just in time before doing any major damage.

The back still hurt bad enough to prevent my strength session today.

No deadlifts. :)

So, I walked Walty this morning, and broke into a jog for the last .75 miles.

Then, this evening after Mother's Day with my mom, I ran Walt from our house up to Day Road.

Back is feeling better, might try the strength session tomorrow and will update the results here!

DAY 3 — ZONE 2 RUN

Warm-up

Walk/jog — 5 min
Walking lunges — 10 total
Air squats — 10
Relaxed strides — 2 x 20 sec
Walk-back recovery after each stride

Workout

Gradual ramp — 10 min
Steady Zone 2 run — 45 min
Cool-down walk — 5 min
HR target
125-135 bpm
Ideal average: 128-131

Finish

4 x 15 sec relaxed strides
Full walk-back recovery, about 45-60 sec
Daily goal
Smooth and disciplined
No sneaky tempo effort

RESULTS: Ran 58 minutes with Walt.  135 avg bpm.