12/26/2025
1 hour flow (vinyasa) yoga
Notes: Took this class with my daughter. I liked it! Nice mix of flow and mobility.
3 Likes
12/27/2025
Rite of Passage, Week 5, Workout 3 “Medium Day”
Last workout of the program, but still have a testing day
Warm up:
10:00 Original Strength
0:30 dead hang
3 x 5 prying goblet squats
Band and calisthenic work
Easy Strength
CG Bench Press: 2 x 5 x 185 lb
Bat wings: 2 x 10 x 25 lb DBs
Goblet squats: 2 x 5 x 44 kg KB
Rite of Passage:
5 x (1, 2, 3, 4) 1-arm clean and presses; 28 kg KB
Match with pull ups
Totals = 50 cleans per arm, 50 presses per arm, 50 strict pull ups
Medium effort swings; rolled dice and got a 4:
74 KB swings in 4:00; 36 kg KB
20:00 walk
Notes: Felt great to get back out there after the holiday feasting and socializing. Perhaps as a result, the weight felt a little heavier and workload a little more strenuous than usual. Still, hit al the marks I needed to and got through the program. I’ll do a test day (press max; snatch AMRAP) on Monday.
5 Likes
12/28/2025
10:30 am
Yoga, 1 hour class
Notes: Still using my free class pass at a new yoga spot that opened up. I’ve enjoyed this place and plan to join for at least a couple months. Thinking kettlebells, yoga, and hyrox as my training emphasis to start the new year. Sounds pretty new age-y.
4 Likes
12/29/2025
Armor Building Formula 2 (ABF2), Week 1, Workout 1
Warm up/Daily work:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements (10 reps each):
Cat-cow, World’s Greatest Stretch, Bridges, Hinge-to-Squat, Crossack Squat, Band pass-throughs
BFB Weighted Daily Movements (10 reps each:
Zottoman Curls, Standing KB pull-overs, DB Romanian DLs, Goblet squats, DB wrist curls/twists
3 x 5 Prying Goblet Squats
1 x 10 Ab wheel
Farmer carry
ABF2 Work:
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 12 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 18 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 3 x 8 x 22 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x empty bar
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 55 lbs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 65 lbs
Deficit push ups: 5 x 15
15:00 walk
Notes: I’ve thought a lot (way too much, once could argue) about which program to run next. I’m still really enjoying KBs and the overall vibe/feel of the workouts I’ve run recently (ABF and Rite of Passage), so decided to keep it going.
This program is laid out in Dan John’s Armor Building Formula, with the difference being that the clean/press work is done with a barbell. I tried that, I just didn’t really like it. I prefer these movements so much more with KBs, so I wanted to give this a go. It worked great, and the movements and weight selections felt spot on.
The progression for this program is to run it 3x a week like this for the first two week, then superset the the curls with the clean/press work, then start adding front squats as part of the clean/press complex. Sounds like fun to me.
I’m being deliberate in keeping in daily movements (Original Strength, Built from Broken, and/or Yoga) and walking as part of the program. Once work starts back up next week, I won’t have the time to always get in the pre- and post-walking, but I’ll still in get plenty of steps throughout the day.
3 Likes
12/30/2025
9 am Hyrox class
Part 1. 32:00 ARAMP:
400m run
20 walking lunges, 44 lb sand bag
10 bar-facing burpees
20 calories row
Rest 1:00
Part 2. 3:00 AMRAP:
10 walking lunges, 44 lb sand bag
5 bar-facing burpees
10 calories row
Me = 5+ rounds in Part 1; 50 reps in Part 2
Notes: I continue to enjoy the Hyrox classes. Just a great way to get conditioning paired with a wide range of movement patterns.
5 Likes
12/31/2025
Armor Building Formula 2 (ABF2), Week 1, Workout 2
Warm up/Daily work:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements (10 reps each):
Cat-cow, World’s Greatest Stretch, Bridges, Hinge-to-Squat, Crossack Squat, Band pass-throughs
BFB Weighted Daily Movements (10 reps each:
Zottoman Curls, Standing KB pull-overs, DB Romanian DLs, Goblet squats, DB wrist curls/twists
3 x 5 Prying Goblet Squats
2 x 12 Ab wheel
2 x Farmer carry x 28 kb KBs
ABF2 Work:
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 12 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 18 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 3 x 8 x 22 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x empty bar
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 55 lbs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 65 lbs
Deficit push ups: 5 x 15 (supersetted with curls)
3 rounds of:
12 KB swings; 36 kg KB
6 strict ring pull ups
15:00 walk
Notes: I must say, I really like the set up of this program. It’s a bit like Easy Strength in that it’s not too daunting, but you know you did some work by the time you’re done.
My lower back is feeling much better. I tweaked it a bit doing a CF workout a couple weeks back, and it’s been a bit stiff since. Reading up on this, I’ve learned that the lower back’s role is more for stabilization, and the treatment should be strengthening-focused rather than stretching-focused. According to Built from Broken, the movements to prioritize are bird-dogs, fire hydrants, and bridges. Seems to be working well for me. According to the author, most people will try to stretch the back out by laying down and pulling in the legs, which is actually counter-productive. That tracks with my experience.
2 Likes
Armor Building Formula 2 (ABF2), Week 1, Workout 3
Warm up/Daily work:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements
BFB Weighted Daily Movements
3 x 5 Prying Goblet Squats
2 x 12 Ab wheel
2 x Farmer carry x 28 kb KBs
ABF2 Work:
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 12 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 18 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 3 x 8 x 22 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x empty bar
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 55 lbs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 65 lbs
12:00 AMRAP:
12 push ups
9 KB swings, 36 kg KB
3 ring pull ups
15:00 walk
Notes: One week down with ABF2. A few notes:
- I’m running this with KB’s rather than barbells. In my opinion, this is a good call and work well (even better for me). I don’t love the continuous clean a press on the barbell, and the KB version - done as a clean, then a press - just feels better in all the right ways.
- The workload for this program is light. It’s easier than ABF1, and it’s not because I’m doing it with KB. For the barbell version, Dan John prescribes even lighter weights than I’m using.
- The good part about this is that it allows for more customization - either adding Easy Strength in before the ABF2 work, or (like I’m doing now) adding in Metcon-style work after the ABF2 work. I also feel like this could be run as a 5x a week program, just like Easy Strength is. Add in swings and goblet squats as the warm up, do the ABF2 work (takes about 15 minutes total), then do carries and ab wheel, followed by a walk. Great daily plan.
1 Like
1/03/2026
8:30 am, Hyrox
10:00 AMRAP x 3:
250m ski erg
25 m burpee broad jumps
250m run
100m farmer’s carry; 2 x 24kg KBs
25 wall balls; 14 lb med ball
250m run
Max row meters in remaining time
(rest 3:00 between rounds)
Me = 650, 750, 725 row meters to end each round
Notes: Still keeping with my Saturday Hyrox. I like the community, and the element of variety that is hard to replicate without the gym. I treat it more as a solid-paced run in terms of effort, rather than a full-on race.
Can’t tell if my left shoulder is getting a bit of impingement. My right wrist was a bit tweaky, and I’ve found that injuries move in that direction: to another spot on the other side. I’ll keep an eye on it, and if needed swap out the double KB presses for ring dips on Monday’s ABF2 workout.
5 Likes
1/04/2026
9 am
1 hour yoga class
Notes: Started the day good…but finished it with beer, pizza, and cookies. A bit of a last hurray before getting back to work this week. At least it was light beer, good quality local pizza, and homemade cookies. I can find a silver lining about anything.
2 Likes
1/05/2026
ABF2, Week 2, Workout 1
Warm up/Daily work:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements
BFB Weighted Daily Movements
2 x 5 Prying Goblet Squats
2 x 12 Ab wheel
2 x Farmer carry x 28 kb KBs
ABF2 Work:
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 12 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 18 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 3 x 8 x 22 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x empty bar
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 55 lbs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 65 lbs
S/S with 5 x 8 push ups and 5 x 10 face pulls
5:00 AMRAP:
2, 4, 6, 8, 10…
Ring rows
KB swings, 28 kg KB
Rest 2:00
5:00 AMRAP
2, 4, 6, 8, 10…
Push ups
Body weight squats
Notes: Fun workout. Gotta move up the time to 7 am, with work starting back up today. I was spoiled by being able to lounge around until about 8:30, and also having plenty of time to end it with a walk. Those days are over for a while.
For the extra work/conditioning, I did a variation of the CF workout from my gym. Starting this year, I discontinued my monthly membership and just bought a class pack, so I can go on Saturdays and do Hyrox. But a nice bonus is that I still have access to the app and all the workouts. Let’s me run them as-is or adjust them for my own goals. For today’s two AMRAPs, I didn’t kill myself at all and just kept moving. I got to ~14’s on both of them.
4 Likes
1/06/2026
7 am
Mobility work: Original Strength (~10:00)
30:00 walk
Built from Broken daily work (~15:00)
1 hour indoor soccer at noon
Notes: Part of me feels the need to ramp things up. Part of me feels the need to keep at this for a while - maintaining strength and conditioning while improving mobility and recovery. I have noticed I’m sleeping really well lately. I’ll stick with it at least for the foreseeable future.
3 Likes
1/07/2026
ABF2, Week 2, Workout 2
Warm up:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements
BFB Weighted Daily Movements
2 x 5 Prying Goblet Squats
2 x 12 Ab wheel
2 x Farmer carries, varied weights and distances
ABF2 Work:
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 12 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 18 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 3 x 8 x 22 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x empty bar
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 60 lbs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 70 lbs
WALRUS circuit, done as a 12:00 EMOM
Wearing a 30# vest
50 push ups
25 ring rows
100 squats
Notes: No time for a post-workout walk; running late for work! I’ll get steps in throughout the day. I liked the set up of this, and was inspired to try it after leafing through 531 Forever last night. Trying to find the perfect compliment to the ABF2 work, and I think this might be it.
4 Likes
1/08/2026
Recovery morning work:
Built from Broken daily bodyweight movements
30:00 wolk
Built from Broken daily weighted movements
Band pull aparts
hanging / sitting at bottom of goblet squat
Face pulls
This evening I have a yoga class scheduled, and I’ll IF this morning.
Notes: Here are my starting pics for the T-ransformations. I weigh 173.6 lbs this morning, which is within my typical range. Wouldn’t mind leaning up a tad.
4 Likes
1/09/2026
ABF2, Week 2, Workout 3
Warm up:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements
BFB Weighted Daily Movements
2 x 5 Prying Goblet Squats
2 x 12 Ab wheel
2 x Farmer carries, varied weights and distances
ABF2 Work:
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 12 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 18 kg KBs
Double KB Clean and Press: 3 x 8 x 22 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x empty bar
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 55 lbs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 75 lbs
S/S with 75 push ups
100 KB swings in 5:00
Mix of 28 and 36 kg KBs
Quick walk
Notes: First two weeks are in the books, so a bit of a change up starting in Week 3. Nothing major, just superset the curls with the KB presses. Today, I didn’t feel like Walrus work so did some swings. I guess I kinda like the variety factor for the after-ABF work, but I do think it’s important to get some type of MetCon-ish work in after the short session.
My ankle is a bit tender from soccer earlier this week. I didn’t hurt it, but it’s just sore and tender from the layoff of not playing. That said, I may or may not do the hyrox class tomorrow depending on how it’s feeling. Just a lot of runs that may not be the best option. We’ll see.
4 Likes
1/09/2026
1 hour yoga - mobility session
Notes: I bit the bullet and signed up for two months. The studio is close by, and has at least three different classes I like: mobility, recovery, and slow flow. The instructors are pretty good, too.
3 Likes
1/10/2026
8:30 am, garage (skipped hyrox today)
Warm up:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements
BFB Daily Weighted Movements
Strength:
Bench Press: 5 x 5 x 205 lbs
S/S with 5 x 7 ring rows
MetCon. 10 rounds, go every 2:00:
1 single KB complex: 3 high pulls to clean; 4 goblet squats; 5 Russian KB swings
10 strict push ups on bricks
Used a 36 kg KB
Notes: Made up this complex while laying in bed last night. I worked out the rep scheme and gave it a go - and I really like it. Not so different than an ABC, but different enough that it feels fresh. I wanted to get in some DL/high pull work, swings, and squats, so this was perfect. I got my pressing from the BP and push ups. I also really like supersetting KB complexes with either pull ups or push ups.
4 Likes
Well, damn you. I look forward to that post every week. lol
1 Like
I’ll make it again next week, I promise!
2 Likes
1/12/2026
ABF2, Week 3, Workout 1
Warm up:
10:00 walk
Built from Broken (BFB) Daily movements
BFB Weighted Daily Movements
2 x 5 Prying Goblet Squats
2 x 12 Ab wheel
2 x Farmer carries, varied weights and distances
1 x 10 single KB cleans; 28 kg KB
ABF2 Work:
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 12 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x empty bar
Double KB Clean and Press: 1 x 8 x 18 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 1 x 8 x 55 lbs
Double KB Clean and Press: 3 x 8 x 22 kg KBs
Barbell curls: 3 x 8 x 75 lbs
S/S with 75 push ups
S/S with 30 banded face pulls
10:00 walk
Notes: I had planned on doing a MetCon at the end of the ABF work, but I slept in and was running late. Also, because I did the ABF work at a good clip, I was definitely a bit winded already. A walk and a high protein breakfast sounded better before rushing off to work.
A bit of a change up with this week’s ABF work: supersetting the curls with the cleans and presses. I forgot the first couple of rounds, and had to adjust to make up for it. I still like keeping the push ups in the mix.
3 Likes
looks like a lot of work and not a pink dumbell in sight.
1 Like