I periodically return to the first post to update my status and goals.
Log Started: January 4, 2016
Last Update: May 19, 2025
Athletic Background:
Age: 38
Height: 5’11"
Weight: 233.8 (4/4/2025)
Pre-2004: HS Football & Wrestling
2004-2007: College Football Player
2008-2012: Running Enthusiast
2013-2015: Kettlebell Enthusiast
2016-2017: CrossFit-Like Person
2018-2020: Strongman-Like Person
Present: General Strength Enthusiast
Training History:
I played football & wrestled in high school, also dabbled in powerlifting for a little bit. I then: played football in college, ran long-distance races (5K’s all the way up to full marathons) for 5-6 years after that, and picked up other fitness hobbies like yoga, mountain biking, and rock climbing during my 20’s (oh, to be young again).
2014-2015: I started doing lots of kettlebell workouts and eventually started lifting heavy barbells again, which brought me to back to something vaguely resembling a strength athlete by the time I started this log in January 2016. I followed a “daily dose deadlift” approach for most of the period from 2016-2019. It served me well for a few years - I deadlifted 600 for the first time in August 2017 and an all-time best of 620 in September 2018, which felt pretty good for someone training 20 minutes a day in a basic garage gym without putting much effort into programming or assistance work.
However, by early 2020, my back didn’t feel right and kept getting worse & worse. I also had an unpleasant realization my physique had gotten huskier than ideal for health and longevity; I weighed in at 258.6 pounds on 2/4/2020, which was disappointing but not surprising. Time to slim down.
February 2020: I decided to take a break from barbell work & focus on improving my pull-up numbers until I slimmed down a bit. I eventually resumed deadlifting with a switch to sumo stance, which has seemed to agree with me - far fewer back issues since making the change. I still love pulling heavy, but now I’m trying to be a bit more well-rounded than just deadlifting every day.
Early 2023: my wife got very into kettlebell workouts, so I also started doing some kettlebell workouts for solidarity, and then in summer 2024 I started doing lots of pull-ups and realizing how good that feels for my upper body. So now I kind of want to have a program built around pull-ups, kettlebell pressing, squats and deadlifts.
December 2024 update - I had an inguinal hernia surgery in August 2024 which was a forced layoff from any strength training for a few weeks. I spent the fall doing kettlebell press and pull-ups, but now think I’m good to start really lifting again.
Summer 2025 update - current plan looks like the following:
S: 2-3 Mile Run
M: Squat Variation
T: Light KB Press
W: Deadlift Variation
R: Medium KB Press
F: Sumo Deadlift
S: Heavy KB Press
Target lifts for 2025 and beyond:
405-pound back squat
475-pound axle deadlift
495-pound sumo deadlift
495-pound conventional deadlift
106-pound kettlebell press
10 (chest-to-bar) strict pull-ups
My (Post-Hernia-Surgery) PR’s:
Back Squat: 2x265 (5/19/2025)
Axle Deadlift: 420
Sumo Deadlift: 440 @ 235.0 (5/16/2025)
Deadlift: 440 @ 236.2 (2/23/2025)
KB Press: 106 @ 233.2 (1/2/2025)
Pull-ups: 7 @ 236.2 (2/23/2025)
My Older (All-Time) PR’s:
Front Squat: 370 (8/15/2019)
Back Squat: 445 (9/27/2019)
Deadlift: 625 (2/8/2019)
slightly_smiling: