Atlas13 Burning the Boats

Training Training Logs
2925

07aug25:

Agile:

Dead hang

Butterfly

Hollywoods

PVC dislocation

PVC nunchucks

Weighted squat hold

Powerful:

Hang power clean: 155x3, 155x3, 155x3, 155x3, 155x3, 155x3

Strong:

Front squat: 95x5, 145x5, 185x2

220x3, 220x3, 220z3

Superset:

Press: 95x5, 135x3, 155x3, 155x3, 155x3, 155x3, 155x3

NG Chin: 3, +10x3, +10x3, +10x3, +10x3, +10x3, 5

Built:

Dips: 8, 8, 8, 8,

GHR: +10x12, +10x10

Hanging knee raise: 10, 10

Z Curl: 25x15, 25x12

Conditioned: Zone 2 treadmill session:

60 minutes, 3.0 mph, 7 incline, 128bpm avg hr

Notes:

  • Cleans feeling good. Definitely figuring out technique better on the power variations than the full, which has pros and cons but Iā€™m still happy with it. Oddly, Iā€™m beginning to think I may be better from the hang than from the floor, which I donā€™t entirely understand. Might just be a cueing thing.

  • Front squats still feeling good. I kind of enjoy this raw lifting. No belt or sleeves, really gotta own the weight.

  • Press flew.

  • Now comes the part on chins where I start playing with fire lol. Still being very conservative with any stresses on these, so my starting weight is just 10lbs, but hoping to build the weighted chin capacity over time back to around where I was, but do it slower to get the tendons up to par this time.

  • An hour is still just too dang long on a treadmill lol.

12 Likes
2926

10Aug25:

Agile:

10 min mobility warm up

Powerful:

Power clean: 95x3, 95x3, 135x2, 155x1,

170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 185x1, 190x1 (PR)

Strong:

Barbell reverse lunge: 45x5, 95x5, 115x5, 135x5, 135x5, 135x5

CGBP: 225x3, 225x3, 225x3, 225x3, 225x3;

Built:

Strapless 1 arm db row: 115x10, 115x10, 115x8

75inc db press: 55x13, 55x12

Chin grip pulldown: 130x15, 130x15

Dual kb shrug: 44sx75ish, 35sx25ish

Conditioned: zone 2 incline treadmill walk

60 min, 7.5inc, 3.0 mph, 131bpm avg hr

Notes:

  • power cleans felt much better than last week. All sets at 170 were clean, then hit 185 and 190 solid. Not sure why 185 felt so awful last week.

  • Deciding that Iā€™m going to vary deadlifts in and out. Maybe every other week, maybe every 3rd week. If I go too long without deadlifting I just started to forget how to struggle on it, but I really do think that training other lifts helps build my deadlift more than straight deadlifting does, and Iā€™m already doing a TON of straight bar pulling with the OLY work.

  • Now, i will keep a weekly deadlift variation. Right now, itā€™s RDLs, which I think is going to be my biggest staple. But clean pulls, snatch grips deads, block pulls, deficit pulls are all also on the table.

  • Making barbell reverse lunges a major movement for a while. I always skimp out on lunges, least favorite accessory even if I need to do them, so this is a bit of a forcing function.

  • Jesus I got the biggest glute pump from these. Not the goal, but Iā€™ll take it.

  • No idea why I went 225 for CGBP, just a wild urge that ended up moving alright.

  • Grip was definitely a fight on the db rows. My handle rotated which only makes it harder, but I wanna get a bit more grip work in, so this fits the bill.

10 Likes
2927

We took the Lemosho route and we were on the mountain for 7 days and 6 nights. Lemosho has great landscape and I think if I remember well, has the highest success rate. We planned our flight to arrive 1 day earlier so we would have a full day to recover for all the long flights and the jet lag. It also serves as a buffer if we had any flight delays or lost luggage and needed to rent some gear. I really recommend it. Those flights are long. After doing Kilimanjaro, we went on a 5 days safari and then spent a week in Zanzibar. That was the best trip of my life so far!

Great call on doing a lot of zone 2 rucking + some intervals 1-2 times a week. Unweighted walks are also great for adding some walking time without impacting recovery. Walking on trail is the best to practice you ā€œtrail awarenessā€/trail pace.

Also great call on strengthening the knees. They will indeed need it for the descent (you go down 13 000 - 14 000 feet the last 24-26 hours). This is the moment most people had problem related to muscle and articulations. During the ascent, itā€™s mostly altitude, some minor back pain from carrying a bag and sleeping on a mat in a tent (I recommend a steady dose of mobility/flexibility, which you are already doing, to prevent that stiffness. The long flights just before the ascent donā€™t help either)

Losing weight is also a good idea if you were already planning on a cut. It will help with altitude but also with the descent. This is where people get injured.

You would already be fine to do it but with the training modifications you are planning, you will thrive which makes the experience even better!

What route are you taking and for how long?

4 Likes
2928

Man, this is almost comical how much our plans are aligned.

Iā€™m doing the lamasho route, planning an 8 day trek(8 days, 7 nights)ā€¦ then a safariā€¦ then a resort in Zanzibar lol. I feel like Iā€™ll need the resort after the previous two weeks!

2 Likes
2929

Awesome man! And yeah, the safari is not a walk in the park either. You get up early to leave at around 6-7AM, then get an ā€œAfrican massageā€ in the Land Rover while eating dust under the African sun and you get back around 6-7PM. I feel like 5 days were enough and we saw everything we wanted to see but man, we were tired after all that! So the Zanzibar resort was welcome. We did not plan for all inclusive but decided to get it once there. We did only one activity during our week in Zanzibar, the rest of the time was spent reading, sleeping or doing nothing on the beach.

I would not change the order of the trip if I would do it again so your plan is solid!

2 Likes
2930

We are planning an all inclusive, because a itā€™s a honeymoon and I want to make sure the Mrs gets at least sometime with a more traditional pampered experience lol.

Though I did purposely find one that has really great scuba optionsā€¦

In completely unrelated news, anyone seen where the hell my bank account went? I swore I had it lying around here somewhere

5 Likes
2931

Good choice on the all inclusive. Getting pampered after Kilimanjaro and the safari will be great. That is next level honeymoon you got planned!

Our only activity was snorkeling and it was great. We saw dolphins in the wild so still in the safari mood haha! Another great activity on Zanzibar is the visit of Stonetown. Apparently it is nice and I would have find it interesting but I was so tired at the time, I did not want to go and also, it is really hot on the island.

Hahahaha! I feel you! We almost did not do the trip because we were building our house at the same time and could have use that trip money on some nice features on the house. I donā€™t regret spending it on the trip at all!

1 Like
2932

12aug25:

Agile:

10 min mobility routine

Powerful:

Hang squat clean: 150x2, 150x2, 150x2, 150x2, 150x2, 150x2

165x1 (PR by default, never tested these)

175x1

185x1

195x1

205xf

205xf (so, so damn close on both of these. Catching in the bottom, but just dumping it forward during the catch. If I could shift my weight back another way 1/2 inch Iā€™d have it easy, the actual pull moves fast, just struggle to catch)

Strong:

Hi bar squat:

255x3

255x3

255x3

255x3

255x3

255x3

255x3

255x3

255x3

255x8

Built:

RDL: 245x12, 245x9

Superset

Narrow stance slant board dual kb front squat: 45sx12,

Cable crunch: 75x15,

Conditioned:

Zone 2 incline treadmill walk:

60 min, 7.5inc, 3.0 mph. 138bpm avg hr

Notes:

  • really happy with cleans. These felt strong. Honestly, I think I am close to hitting a lot heavier weight. Pulling the bar to mid torso moves pretty easy, if I can just nail this catch position then I expect to get something impressive before long.

  • The gradual improvements to hi bar are still kicking. Definitely some a Chinese weightlifter, but itā€™s getting better as mobility improves. Still donā€™t feel the solidness of low bar.

  • With 1 lower body day and 2 full body days a week, Iā€™m hitting legs quite a bit. Quads look a little bigger, legs getting a bit more tonedā€¦. But fuck me Iā€™ve got glutes for days. Double cheeked up on a Tuesday. If you took away the pelt of hair, I know women who would kill for these gains haha. Sadly not my goal. Hard enough already shopping for pants.

  • Zone 2 felt good. Noticed my hr was a little higher than usual. But, it was also hot and humid as hell, and I was at about 140bpm from my last set when I stepped on the treadmill. Gradually came down as I kept going, with some spikes here and there. Should have brought more water, ran out at 20 minutes and was just dying.

  • On that note, I have a rule for my zone 2 stuff. No quitting. Now, that may sound dumb. But what I mean is, I plan something then I do it, regardless of how I feel. I may adjust days based on feel for higher intensity stuff. The whole point of zone 2 is low intensity. Even on a rough day, low intensity only becomes moderate. If my training is to support a no fail zone 2 event, then I want to get in the habit of just pushing through any sort of discomfort. Not really saying today counts for that, just more of a general thing.

In other news, wife hit 200 for 5x5 on squats today, which Iā€™m pretty stoked about given her being 5ā€™1ā€ and maybe 130 (idk actually know, and now better than to ask, but itā€™s my guess from when I pick her up lol. Not big)

@Hugo_Fillion ill have to look that up, see if itā€™s nearby where we are staying!

10 Likes
2933

13Aug25:

Agile:

5 min mobility

Strong:

Bench: 240x3, 240x3, 240x3, 240x3, 240x3

15 BPA between sets

Built:

Pendlay row: 195x5, 195x5, 195x5, 195x8

Notes:

  • busy day, just fit in something quick. Bench felt heavy, because bench was heavy lol. Still moved though.
11 Likes
2934

Had dental work done today. Not terrible, but it was oral surgery, got put under and all that fun stuff.

so, eating like a horse the next few days. Soft foods diet, which hopefully wonā€™t last long. Lots of soup and protein shakes lol.

weird thought, but Iā€™m a big believer that you heal faster in a calorie surplus, or at least not in a deficit. Think about it, if your body is physically regrowing tissue or repairing damage, that takes energy. Stands to reason it wouldnā€™t happen as fast on a deficit. So giving myself at least until Monday of just chowing down, as much as I can with soups and protein anyway lol

edit: my soup exploded in the microwave literally as I typed this

10 Likes
2935

Well some updates

  • I look like a chipmunk. My face is ridiculously swollen. Wisdom teeth had nothing on me compared to this.
  • Anesthesia and I donā€™t get along. Maybe Iā€™m just being dramatic, but i spent ALL of Thursday and most of yesterday in just a haze of lethargy. Could only be on my feet for 20 minutes or so before Iā€™d get hit with a wave of exhaustion that had me down for the count.
  • Tried to workout yesterday. Took some pre workout, was doing my pre lift mobility, and was so wiped from it that I actually stopped the workout. Even the preworkout didnā€™t help, I was just dead. Hoping today goes a bit better
  • Now I know Iā€™m being a baby. Pains reasonable, no nausea, nothing is bad, but dang itā€™s annoying
  • In good news, my wife got back from 9 weeks of TAD last night. Welcome little surprise, werenā€™t expecting her back until Sunday but she got out early. Very good to have the home together again.
  • And just cause I forgot to mention it, when I went in for the procedure Thursday, the anesthesiologist had to stop and adjust the machine because I kept on setting off the alarms before I even went under lol. RHR was 54, blood pressure was 114/60, and my respiration rate was about 11 per minute, which I guess all were lower enough than their usual that the EKG thought I was dying. For being 5ā€™10ā€ 230s, Iā€™m pretty proud of those readings
11 Likes
2936

I had a similar things a few years back when i had a vasectomy. I was in recovery and the RHR was under 40. They kept me on overnight and gave me ECGs every 2 hours. Being fit sucks :rofl:

5 Likes
2937

Work for yesterday:

AM session:

Agile: 40 minute mobility work

Conditioned: rower intervals

30 seconds hard, 90 second easy, 8 rds.

Work for today:

AM session:

Zone 2 session: incline treadmill walk, 3.0mph, 7.5 Inc, 108bpm avg hr

Notes:

  • HR was too low. Crazy how much easier this was fresh in the AM in cooler temps compared to in the heat after lifting.
  • Will lift tonight, cleared by doc
9 Likes
2938

19aug25:

Agile:

10 min mobility

Powerful:

hang squat clean:

165x2

165x2

165x2

165x2

165x2

165x2

Had wifey doing a high pull-hang clean- front squat complex with 65lbs

Strong:

Hi bar squat:

245x6

245x6

245x6

245x6 (accidently beltless)

195x15

-Wife weight:

-185x6

-185x6

-185x6

-185x6

-150x12

Built:

RDL: 275x9, 275x7

  • Wife weight: 165x10, 165x8

BSS: 44lb kbs x10, 44sx9

  • wife weight: 35lb kbs x10, 35x8

Decline sit up: 12, 10

  • wife: 15, 15

Notes:

  • spent about an hour just teaching the Mrs the ropes of OLY lifting. Both had a ton of fun with it.

  • Sped through my own cleans, had em moving fast.

  • Hi bar felt good. Moved my stance in about 3 inches, the narrower actually feels pretty good on hi bar. Done with the 10x3, wrote a nice little 6 week program for the Mrs and I following a percentage based program.

  • Heavy ass RDL felt great

  • Some day I will enjoy BSS, but it is not this day

Logging the Mrs lifts so I can keep track for programming purposes

13 Likes
2939

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5 Likes
2940

20Aug25:

AM work:

Conditioned: 60 min LISS treadmill walk. 8.0 mph, 3.1 Inc, 117bpm avg HR

Notes:

  • heart rate still a little low, despite increasing incline and speed. Will need to increase some more lol.

PM Work:

Agile:

5 min mobility session

Powerful:

  • 3x A skips

  • 2x B skips

  • 2x power skips

  • 1x short single leg bounds

  • 1x long single leg bounds

  • 4x10 yard sprint starts

Strong:

Bench: 205x6, 205x6, 205x6, 205x6, 165x20 (had to match the Mrs)

  • wife weight: 95x6, 95x6, 95x6, 95x6, 75x20 (surprised me here, stronger than I thought)

Built:

Pendlay row: 195x6, 195x6, 195x6, 195x8

  • wife weight: 95x6, 95x6, 95x6, 95x8

Db Bench: 75x12, 75x9

  • WW: 40x10, 40x9

Lat pulldown: 180x12, 180x10

  • WW: 110x12, 110x11

Tricep Pushdown: 80x12, 80x11

  • WW: 45x12, 45x10

Lat raise: 25x15, 25x13, 25x12

Notes:

  • bench moved well. 205 sets all felt good, my backoff set was brutal. Happy with the Mrs, didnā€™t think sheā€™d hit that many reps at 275.

  • Accessories moved well. Nice pump

  • Calories are at about 1900, trying to drop lower during the week so I can maintain an overall deficit while still enjoying the weekends a bit. Definitely hungry at this level

@simo74 haha maybe enjoy is too strong of word. Not loathe?

10 Likes
2941

Lol I almost thought your wife was benching that

1 Like
2942

If she did that, Iā€™d sell my gym and take up knitting lol

2 Likes
2943

22aug25:

Agile:

10 min mobility routine

Powerful:

Hang power clean: 160x3, 160x3, 160x3, 160x3, 160x3, 160x3

  • WW: complex: hi pull+ hang power+FS: 6x1x65lbs

Strong:

Raw Front squat: 225x3, 225x3, 225x3, 225x3

  • WW: 85x3, 85x3, 85x3, 85x3

Press: 145x6, 145x6, 145x6, 145x6

  • WW: 65x7 (she canā€™t count), 65x6, 65x6, 65x6

Built:

NG Chins: 3, +10x3, +10x3, +10x3. 3

  • WW: Bx3, Bx3, Bx3, Bx3, Bx6

WW: dips: 5, 4, 4, 4, 4

Me: laying Db fly: 25x15, 25x15, 25x15

GHR: 15, 12

  • WW: 9, 10

Notes:

  • shoulder pissed at me. Not sure why, think I slept weird. Press was a struggle, and I just could not do dips period. Otherwise, good lift.

  • Wife has awful front rack. Mines bad, hers is terrible. Which is interesting, because she has freaking perfect mobility and proportions for just about every aspect of OLY lifting lol

  • Taught the Mrs GHRsā€¦. She is not a fan haha.

Also, a thought.

I believe, generally, you can only focus on one, maybe two goals at a time. If you want to get bigger, most likely not also getting leaner. If you want to increase endurance, probably not also increasing strength. Some are more complimentary. Definitely possible to get bigger and stronger, or getting leaner while improving cardio/endurance.

but, where I see a lot of people fail is when they want it ALL. I want to be bigger, stronger, faster, better endurance, more powerful, more agile, look better naked, all at the same time. definitely possible for a beginner, but after that? Itā€™s difficult.

Note I say difficult, not impossible. I DO think you can improve all of these qualities at once. I think you see that pretty commonly in a lot of college and professional S&C programs. But, it requires VERY good training with VERY good nutrition and VERY good recovery, while specifically targeting all the attributes. And that is a time consuming endeavor. The Mrs and I are trying that now, with the wedding and Kilimanjaro coming up. And itā€™s a ton of work. 5 hours of AM training a week for cardio and mobility/ agility work, another 6 hours a week spent lifting/ jumping/ sprinting, and then however much time we spend cooking, all while making sure we get at least 7.5 hours of sleep a night. Definitely a big push, and one we can really one sustain right now because we are a dual income no kids couple working hours that are almost an apology from the DOD for how much our last positions sucked lol. I actually really like this feeling, definitely gets you into the mindset of ā€œathleteā€ with so much of any given day devoted to training, but also just not sustainable long term for most.

10 Likes
2944

heart rate still a little low, despite increasing incline and speed. Will need to increase some more lol.

This was something I pitched to @unicornsandrainbows but if heart rate is the specific goal, you may look into Dr. Leonard Schwartzā€™ ā€œHeavy Handsā€ concept. Dan John speaks about it, as did Marty Gallagher in ā€œPurposeful Primitiveā€. Essentially, you take a light load (1-3lbs) in each hand and move them with a big ROM while you walk. Itā€™s about walking very inefficiently. It can really jack up the heart rate without having to overload the body or get stupid with the speed/incline.

4 Likes