Atlas13 Burning the Boats

[Hugo_Fillion]

@atlas13

The Mrs and I are trying that now, with the wedding and Kilimanjaro coming up. And it’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.

Having goals with set date is awesome to bring that kind of focus!

[Stormblessed]

@T3hPwnisher

Essentially, you take a light load (1-3lbs) in each hand and move them with a big ROM while you walk. It’s about walking very inefficiently

I had a psycho rugby coach in college who made us run sprints with bricks in our hands. And it was so much harder than regular sprinting. But the walk back to the start line with bricks felt harder than the sprint! I concur with this idea.

[T3hPwnisher]

I real psycho would have used scissors!

[SvenG]

@atlas13

Some day I will enjoy BSS

Couldn’t help myself… low on sleep sitting in an airport. Gotta stay entertained, haha!

[atlas13]

@T3hPwnisher you know, that’s actually been on my planning list for this prep (minus the exaggerated arm pumps) My idea is to make it slightly and slightly more hike specific every month or so. So after a month, start wearing my hiking pack with about what I expect my weight to be. After that? 1-2lb weights in the hands and make a smaller swing that simulates using hiking poles. After that? Start wearing my hiking boots while I do it. I guess after that I could slowly choke myself to simulate the altitude, but I think I’ll draw the line short of there haha.

@Hugo_Fillion it definitely does. It really helps that my wife has started to really enjoy the process, so we kind of hype one another up in the gym.

@Stormblessed ive never run with bricks, but that sounds exactly like something my old rugby coach would have us do lol. I DO remember wrestling practices where we would do conditioning work while keeping water in our mouth, and couch would make you spit the water out at the end of it, which I’m pretty sure serves no real purpose other than to help with nose breathing, and to make coach feel all warm and fuzzy about stealing a training tactic from the Spartans lol

@SvenG i can’t hate on a LOTR meme lol

[atlas13]

23Aug25:

Agile:

• 10 min mobility

Strong:

Barbell reverse lunge: 135x6, 135x6, 135x8

• WW: 75x6, 75x6,

Incline bench: 175x6, 175x6, 175x6, 175x6, 175x6

• WW: 85x6, 85x6, 85x6, 85x6, 85x6

Built:

Single arm cable row: 70x13, 70x12

• WW: 40x12, 40x12,

Chin grip Pulldown: 140x12, 140x12

• WW: 100x8, 100x7

Superset:

45 degree back raise: +25x13, +25x12, +25x12

• WW: +10x15, +10x15, +10x15

Cable crunch: 75x12, 75x12, 75x12

• WW: 50x12, 50x12, 50x12

[atlas13]

25aug25:
Agile: 10 min mobility

Powerful:
3x2 seated high jump
3x1 depth jump off bench

Hang clean: 170x2, 170x2, 170x2, 170x2, 170x2, 170x2

190x1 (easy)

Strong:

Hi bar squat: 260x4, 260x4, 260x4 Beltless, 260x4, 210x15

• WW: 195x4, 195x4, 195x4, 195x4, 155x15

Built:

RDL: 275x10, 275x8

• WW: 165x11, 165x9

BSS: 44kbs x10, 44x8

• WW: 35kbs x12, 35x10

Ab wheel: 12

• WW: 10

Notes:

• cleans felt good.
• Still using soft belt on the hi bar, focusing on a closer stance more upright style. Really just trying to hammer quad strength. Damn belt came undone on the 3rd set, annoying but doesn’t change anything.

[atlas13]

26Aug25:
Agile:
10 min mobility

Powerful:
Lots of skips, then wife and I did a 5 round seated broad jump competition

Strong:

Bench: 215x4, 215x4, 215x4, 215x4, 175x15

• WW: 105x4, 105x4, 105x4, 104x4, 80x20

Built:

Pendlay row: 200x6, 200x6, 200x6, 200x6

• WW: 95x6, 95x6, 95x6, 95x7

Db bench: 75x14, 75x11

• WW: 40x12, 40x12

Lat Pulldown: 180x13, 180x10

• WW: 120x10, 120x9

Tricep extension: 80x15, 80x13

• WW: 45x12, 45x12

Conditioned

• Rower Tabata intervals

Notes:

• strength felt good. Bench was moving fairly well, content with how 215 felt.
• Db bench felt really good. DBs only go to 80, I may just start chasing really high rep sets on these once I can no longer add weight.
• Early work cut into workout time. Caught up on conditioning with a quick Tabata. Was absolutely brutal. The rower really whips your ass on these short power bursts

[atlas13]

02sep25:
Agile:
5 min mobility

Powerful:

Hang clean: 135x2, 155x2, 165x1, 175x2, 185x1, 195x1, 205x1 (PR, finally)

Wife: hang high pull 7x3 85lbs

Strong;

Hi bar squat: 275x3, 275x3, 275x3, 275x6

• WW: 210x3, 210x3, 210x3

Built:

Beltless RDL: 315x7 (PR),

• WW: 170x10, 170x9,

Notes:

• happy with cleans, been stuck at 195 for a while, nice little 10lb PR
• Also happy with hi bar. Still using a soft belt, and honestly idk if I get anything out of that over just going Beltless. Purposely not doing my leather belt, because I don’t want to reinforce low bar habits. This wasn’t amazing weight for me or anything, but I hit all the reps at 275 while staying upright and keeping the tension in the quads instead of the hips, so the target affect is working. Hopefully a few rotations of this will pay dividends to low bar in the future.
• Decided to test myself on RDLs, and am honestly pretty stoked about 315x7. hitting that Beltless with squat shoes? My posterior chains gotta be somewhat decent lol. Erectors felt like tension cables after that.
• Cut it short due to some emergency wedding planning. Crisis averted lol.

[alex_uk]

2 prs in 1 session, sounds like things are going exactly as planned, where are you in the timeline of goals you had planned? What’s left to tick off?

[atlas13]

03sep25:
Agile: 5 min mobility

Powerful:
Skips and sprints

Strong:

Bench: 230x3, 230x3, 230x3, 230x6 (post labrum tear PR)

• WW: 110x3, 110x3, 110x3, 110x5

Built:

Pendlay row: 205x6, 205x6, 205x6, 205x6,

• WW: 100x6, 100x6, 100x6,

Db bench: 80sx12, 80x8

• WW: 40x13, 40x12

Lat Pulldown: 180x14, 180x8,

• WW: 120x11, 120x10

Tricep extension: 85x15, 85x13

• WW: 45x12, 45x14

Notes:

• Good lift. Bench moved pretty well, especially for hitting the 3x3 prior to my top set.
• My DBs only go to 80, so I’m just going to start chasing reps now on db bench.
• Been terrible about logging my conditioning, but it’s been happening lol

@alex_uk it’s kind of been all over the place tbh. My conditioning is on point, at some point or another this year I’ve hit or surpassed everything I was trying minus the 1.5 mile run, come close there and just kind of stopped chasing it as I prep for kili. Lower body lifts, I’m close. Hit some decent squats at 455 with some in the tank a while back, doing my hi bar deal right now, but I think a good peak could get me in shooting range of 495. No idea on deadlifts, doubt im getting 585, but mid 500s prolly, still a gain. Biggest struggle is all pressing movements, the shoulder is holding me back. It’s getting better, but it’s definitely affecting how hard I can crank when the weight gets heavy. Nothing I can really do other than keep hammering stability work and build up some surrounding musculature, but I think in the year my estimated 1rm has gone from about 265 to 275, not even close to the big gains I was shooting for

[alex_uk]

Sounds pretty positive apart from the shoulder, and even if you don’t hit every goal 100% you’ll be significantly further forward than of you hadn’t been aiming for those goals.

@atlas13

stopped chasing it as I prep for kili.

Plus life throws up some better goals for us sometimes!

[atlas13]

05sep25:
Agile:

Powerful:

Hang power clean: 170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 170x3, 170x3

WW: 7x3 hang hi pull 85lbs

Strong:

Soft belt front squat: 235x3, 235x3, 235x3, 235x3,

• WW: 95x3, 95x3, 95x3, 95x3

Press: 160x3, 160x3, 160x3, 160x6

• WW: 72.5x3, 72.5x3, 72.5x3, 72.5x9

Built:

NG Chins: 3, +15x3, +20x3, +15x3, 5

• WW: Bx4, Bx4, Bx4, Bx4, Bx9

Dips: 6, 6, 6, 6, 10

• WW: 4, 4, 4, 4, 7

GHR: 8, 8,

• WW: 10, 15

Notes:

• very pleased with cleans. 170 was my max hang power clean a few months ago, and now I hit all these sets pretty dang crisp.
• Front squats moved fine.
• Meh on press. Strength there isn’t where it was before deployment, but also my labrum wasn’t fucked then. Also thinking that doing press so late in the workout takes a bit out of me. Press isn’t bad by any means, I’ve just done better.
• Chins felt good, but elbow twinged a little bit in the +20 set. No more adding load above 15 for a bit.
• Doing dips almost out of spite at this point. I will make my shoulder learn how to handle these god dammit lol.

[Stormblessed]

@atlas13

Doing dips almost out of spite at this point. I will make my shoulder learn how to handle these god dammit lol.

Anecdotally, getting better at dips and doing them very deep has made my shoulders feel better consistently. Had to start with the assisted dip machine, which was demoralizing, but who cares haha.

[atlas13]

06Sep25:
Agile:
5 min mobility

Powerful:

Power clean: 95x3, 135x2, 155x2, 165x1, 175x1, 185x0

• WW: 45x3, 85x1, 90x1, 95x1,

Strong:

Hi handle trap bar deadlift: 165x5, 255x3, 345x3, 435x3, 485x3

• WW: 165x5, 215x3, 235x3

Notes:

• power cleans did not feel good at all. Not sure if I’m struggling off the floor, or just beat up from yesterday.
• Actually, did a few from the hang to check. Felt terrible. Think I’m just sore from yesterday.

We called it there. Two full body days just ain’t the move, feeling far weaker in these movements than we should.

The Mrs also hit 240x3 Beltless low handle trap bar on wed, and couldn’t get 245 to budge today. Think we are both a little bit fried.

[atlas13]

Side story: went and played with frisbee golf today. Stopped at the grocery store with the Mrs on the way back. I was in a tank top that admittedly makes me look just about as jacked as I ever do, and my traps are definitely looking a bit better these days. Well some 4-5 year old boy is walking out with his mom, sees me, stops in his tracks, points, and goes “mommy, look at that man”. Mom, embarrassed, tries to pull him away and he goes “no, mommy look at the strong man!”.

My wife’s only comment after that endeavor was “I’m surprised your hat still fits on your head.” Hater.

[BethB]

@atlas13

My wife’s only comment after that endeavor was “I’m surprised your hat still fits on your head.” Hater.

I don’t know your wife, but I like her.

[atlas13]

09sep25:
Agile:
10 min mobility

Powerful:

Hang clean: 175x2, 175x2, 175x2, 175x2, 175x2, 175x2, 175x2

WW: hang power clean + FS: 85x2, 85x2, 85x2, 85x2, 85x2, 85x2, 85x2

Strong:

Soft belt Hi bar squat: 255x6, 255x6, 255x6, 255x6, 205x15

• WW: 190x6, 190x6, 190x6, 190x6, 150x16 (she did this on purpose and I find it rude)

Built:

RDL: 295x10 (PR), 295x6

• WW: 170x10, 170x10

BSS: 40sx8, 40x8

• WW: 25x12, 25x12

Cable crunch: 75x15, 75x8 (brutal ab cramp)

• WW: 50x15, 50x15

Notes:

• very happy with both cleans and squats. Felt strong, powerful, and crisp on every rep. I’ve definitely done heavier hi bar, but I’ve never had hi bar feeling this good, if that makes sense. Hi bar feels like a leg workouts instead of a low back workout, which hasn’t been the case before.
• Overslept this morning. Wife asked me to press snooze, I did, next thing I know it’s 1.5 hours later and I was rushing to work. Note to self: don’t hit snooze.
• RDLs feeling strong, but man they smoke my erectors.
• Bulgarians remain my enemy

@BethB

don’t know your wife, but I like her.

She reads this log, don’t encourage her

[BethB]

I stand by my statement.

[BethB]

Side note: you recommend Outlive to me about a month ago. I bought it and started it. It was then commandeered by my husband. Now that he has finished, I am back to reading it. Excellent suggestion. Thanks.