Thursday 2/26
Barely slept the night before. Got up for the day around 2:30 or 3, just miserable.
Managed to perform Day C, including tempo statches, snatch balance, btn push press.
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Friday 2/27/2026
Last night’s sleep was severely interrupted too, but I’m ok relative to yesterday.
2 mile run
5 powerclean-and-FS-and-jerk, 115lb
3x8/side FFESS with 45lb overhead
4x5 front squats with 155lb - DAMN that was hard
I’ve been having this tailbone pain issue. Probably mentioned it here. The more I spend time stretching or mobilizing, and looking into mobility as its own thing, the more I realize how completely immobile I am. There are directions that I simply can’t move. Which is crazy because I’ve always felt like I move pretty normally, just a little toed out.
Example: Stand on one foot. Then place the other foot in front, so your feet form a T. I literally can’t do that. About 45 degrees is the best I can do.
Crazy.
And it’s all making sense.
For two decades I’ve been trying to get stronger, do things other people can do, found it weird that I can deadlift easily but can’t squat, all this other stuff. This whole time I had no idea there was a structural thing going on.
Who knows.
If I’d taken 6 months to work mobility in my early 20s would I have made massive GAINZ since then? Or are my bones this way and I am fighting nature? No idea. Doesn’t matter but damn.
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It sounds like you’re lacking Internal Rotation. You can’t turn your femur and foot “in”.
How’s your External Roration? Can you turn your foot or knee “out”?
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Correct, I am severely limited in internal rotation.
External rotation is fine, and I can turn my foot (and knee) “out” very far.
In fact, my natural standing position, if I’m just chillin and I look down at my feet, is to have my feet probably 45-60 degrees apart. So it’s a safe bet to say that I’m quite externally rotated “at rest”.
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This warrants a log entry:
Sunday, 3/1/2026.
First thing, started on heavy hardwork.
Dropped that and drove everyone to a cool hike (Manoa Falls). It’s a pretty short round-trip, but pretty steep up-hill and I had to carry the 4yo some of the way. Also I forgot my shoes so had to go in flip-flops, an interesting twist.
Returning home, I cooked lunch and then went right back to heavy yardwork.
Finishing that, I worked on another project and took a walk.
All in all: A very active and fit day.
Oh, and not that it matters, but intermittently fasted - I didn’t eat from around 6:00 last night, to around 1:00 today, so +/- 19 hours. Meaning the first yardwork and hike were entirely fasted.
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Monday 3/2:
Started off at 5:15 with a 30 minute run. Based on my known pace that’s basically a 5k.
The barbell later, I hope, but I have 4 back to back hours of calls plus actual work to do.
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@FlatsFarmer I’m hoping you have suggestions! Or just twll me I should accept that this is how my body works. That’s cool too!
You’re already doing Split Squats and Bodyweight Squats. Here are a couple quick videos with tweaks or cues to make those moves drive some Hip Internal Rotation.
Split Squat. Notice the pelvis turn into the working leg.
Box Squat. If you dont want to use the box you can still do the the “hips back” motion and gradually turn feet in.
If your hips and back are really stiff and you can’t get into those positions, heres and easy move to loosen up.
If this guy Clicks with you, here’s a more detailed video with a couple breathing drills and more detailed descriptions of the box squat and split squat.
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@FlatsFarmer thanks.
I’ll check out the YT links and will look for the IG ones on YT. I don’t have the IG app so it won’t let me watch 
Thanks!
I’ll update after i check them out.
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Sorry man! The instagram videos played for me without the instagram app when I searched for “zac cupples duck feet” and “zack cupples split squat.” But the links won’t work without the app.
Anyway, the Split Squat and the Box Squat (2 moves from istagram links) are shown at 4:00 and 6:00 in the longer video about Duck Feet.
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Late update, just to close the log out for the day:
Monday 3/2
I did that 30 minute run this morning
Then after work, about a half-mile with the boy as a warmup, then:
Day A week 4
Tall snatches
Snatch balances
Overhead Paused Squats (much easier this week)
Snatch pulls.
Oura tracker shows an insane amount of activity today - aint that the truth.
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Tuesday 3/3.
Day B week 4, which was tall cleans, drop cleans (or drop front squats more accurately), paused front squats, and RDLs.
I’ve been neglecting the mobility routine I started. So typical LOL. But very conscious of the need for it.
@FlatsFarmer I watched the duck feet video twice. What’s not obvious to me, is how to make those movement actually cause improvement. a) the movements FEEL like nothing at all - it’s not obvious they do anything - and b) I can’t understand HOW they will help; and c) I didn’t see a progression or guidance on how, in 30 days, doing the rx will “fix” duck feet.
That’s probably my own fault, maybe I’m just tuning out when he explains key details.
TONS of walking yesterday.
Today, Wednesday, I’m not sure I’m training at all. Kinda have a lot going on, may just take the day off. WOuldn’t be a problem if so- this 4-day program is nominally MT-TF, although I do know I need more training (running or metcons) beyond this silly remedial program.
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Cupples say that if your feet are stuck “out” tight, short muscles on the back of your pelvis (glutes, upper hams, low back) are keeping your hips jammed forward. So there is no room for your femurs to internally rotate.
Squatting down to above parallel with your butt stuck back and your knees together is supposed to teach these tight rear pelvis muscles to lengthen under load. As they relax, you should be able to turn your legs “in” better.
And by progessively turning your feet in and getting your knees closer over time your pelvis and low back should get more neutral and less jammed forward. And your glutes and upper hams should lengthen, allowing for more internsal rotation of your femurs.
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The front foot split squat works both legs in a range that requires internal rotation, opposite of eachother, like when you walk or run. So it’s like "weighted practice "
And egg heads say the rear foot elevated squat requires a lot of External Rotation and hip extension. And if you’re already extended and externally rotated it’s just forcing you farther into that jammed up position.
So by trading 1 for the other, its supposed to improve internal rotation and not make it worse.
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Re: FFESS vs RFESS - THAT is cool! My current remedial program involves FFESS and I was just thinking that it feels weird and I get more out of RFESS, but having read that, I’ll stick with FF! Thanks.
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3/5/2026 Thursday
Stoked with how I did today, honestly a 2-a-day:
Early morning (before 6:00, still dark:)
Run 1 mile to the park
3 rounds of:
10 pullups
20 pushups
30 squats
Then run 1 mile back home (mostly uphill).
Crushed that!
Had a FULL workday after that, then finally,
Snatch program Day C:
Pause-at-knee snatches, 10 total
These felt really, really good.
Heaving Snatch balance, maybe 10 total?
BTN push press, something like 4x4 with 95lb.
Then mobility, in which I worked on hip internal rotation. By the end of 5 or 6 minutes I actually felt like I was unlocking something - maybe!
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3/6 Friday:
1 mile run
A lap of snorkeling and a generally very active day out.
3/7 Saturday:
Finally did Day D of Week 4, had to split into two micro-sessions to accommodate activities:
Clean and FS and Jerk - 115lb, 5 reps
FFESS - 55lb, 3x8 per side
4 hour break
Front Squats, 155lb, 4x5.
That’s the end of the 4-week block focused on building a lower snatch catch position.
TBD what’s next in that department because:
6 weeks until the Spartan race!
In 1 week i have to fly to the mainland for work, plus the Spartan in on the mainland, then we’re taking a family trip to mainland the week after that, so I have way too much flying in the near future.
Today I plan to do a 1-hour run.
The next few weeks I intend to keep running as a high priority. No concrete plan yet but may come up with something.
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Have you done one of these before?
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Three of them. Love em.
Each time, I’ve had a partner who… slowed me down a little.
This time my partner is my childhood BFF, who got me into these in the first place.
We’re meeting halfway between where we live lol.
He’s in pretty good shape and was always better than me as kids.
I hope to outperform him on this one!
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