Brandon's Backyard Buffoonery

[BrandonCrawford]

6/23/25 (cont.)

30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest

15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00

Working on a bit of a “mission statement” - will come back and edit later. Or may just wait to finish writing it before I hit post. I am just doing way too much junk volume right now because I don’t have any real concrete goals other than to survive at my competitions, so I’m falling back to “just work hard!” which is fine except leaving the gym feeling worse than when you walked in is stupid to do on a regular basis (what a negative feedback loop), and some of my best progress came when I finished every session feeling like there was still some meat on the bone. I know not everyone agrees with that method but I don’t really care, a 1000lb bench wouldn’t mean crap to me if I felt like shit all day long in my daily life (and I am nowhere near that kind of strength anyway but I’m just making a point).

Main Strength Goals
315 Squat/225 Bench/405 Dead/135 Press, for reps. Some of these I’ve been here before, some of these I’ve never done at all, but these should be foregone conclusions at this point.

Secondary Strength Goals
Shoulder my 200lb sandbag, Farmers Carry BW per hand x 50ft (this stuff is just plain cool)
DB Row 1/2 BW for 20+ reps, Axle Curl 100 unbroken reps (it’d be nice to have some biceps at some point)

Conditioning Goals
Ruck a marathon (may be a once in a lifetime thing but just keeping up the training should keep me cardiovascularly fit)
50 chins/100 pushups/150 squats in 10 minutes (doesn’t need to be my daily work but also shouldn’t be a Crossfit games level effort like it was the one time I did it)
I have some running goals too but I may leave them behind if it is a case of me chasing too many rabbits at once

I want to do all this at a bodyweight of 180ish, which is more or less where I am right now. There’s just no way that if I weigh that and can do all of the above, that I won’t be in killer shape.

I’ve said it before but I’ve been close to this stuff in the past, and when I was, it was from doing 5/3/1 2x a week, a 3rd day for events, and easy conditioning on 3 other days. That is what I need to be doing. I’m close right now but I have to cut out that excess junk volume.

[SvenG]

@BrandonCrawford

for reps

Love this!

[simo74]

@BrandonCrawford

Main Strength Goals

Great goals and very achievable with your current work ethic and consistency. Can’t wait to see you smash these.

[BrandonCrawford]

@SvenG @simo74 appreciate the words of encouragement gents

6/24/25

15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00

No vest walk, was just too hot for it. Glad I got the one in Monday. Took a short walk at like 9pm, also did a lot of general activity moving some stuff around at my place and my mom’s.

6/25/25 - Events Day

Clean & Strict Press Medley - 3 rounds
95lb Atlas Stone + 106lb Log + 100lb Keg (1 rep each of Stone/Log then AMRAP the Keg for remainder of minute) - got 4 reps on the Keg each round, rested 3 minutes b/w rounds

Sandbag to Shoulder - 150x1x10 EMOM (switch shoulder each time)

20yd Suitcase Carry (106lb) + 20yd Backwards Sled Drag (+97lb) - 6 rounds, alt. arms for carry each round, rest 1-2 minutes b/w sets

49:34, plus a few minutes on either side for setup/teardown (this stuff requires a little more of that than the weight room stuff). I’ll be glad as long as it stays sub 60 minutes all told, and doing less medleys will keep the time down, too.

Good clean wholesome family fun. Went a little crazy using pretty much every implement I own since I haven’t in so long. Happy with my press performance in general, especially with being able to 1-motion the keg. The sandbag got easier as the rounds went on and I got a feel for the technique. The sled drags were murder on the quads though. Still made sure to follow my creed and not kill myself on any of the portions.

[BrandonCrawford]

6/25/25 (cont.)

13 chins/44 pushups/69 BW squats in 5:00

6/26/25

16 chins/64 pushups/80 BW squats in 6:00

30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest

6/27/25

A1) Bench - 45x10, 89x5, 104x5, 122x3, 136x18 (PR!)
A2) Ab Wheel - 3 sets of 5

B) Close Grip Bench - 104x20+8+6 (rest pause)

C1) Squat - 45x10, 111x5, 159x5, 184x3, 208x15
C2) - Ab Wheel - 3 sets of 5

D) Front Squat - 159x15

E) DB Row - 75x15 (left), 18 (right)

45:31

[BrandonCrawford]

6/27/25 (cont.)

16 chins/53 pushups/80 BW squats in 6:00

6/28/25

30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest

18 chins/54 pushups/90 BW squats in 6:00

Some grub so far from this weekend. Steak stir fry and steak & eggs.

[Friedrich]

Looks Good!

[EmilyQ]

What’s in the stir-fry? It looks so good!

[BrandonCrawford]

The beef was london broil but you can use any steak or lean roast cut. I seared that quickly in a pan then sliced it super thin.

The noodles are soba but I will probably try something different next time. I couldn’t get a straight answer from the internet on the best thing to use for stir fry. Udon, rice, ramen, lo mein are also options. I just boiled those then rinsed them to remove some of the starchiness.

The veggies are red and green bell peppers, onion, carrots and mushrooms. I sautéed those in some olive oil to get a little crisp on them. I’ve also added broccoli and cabbage in the past but this is what I had.

The sauce is something like 3tbsp each of honey/siracha/garlic plus half a cup of soy sauce, a pinch of sesame oil and oyster sauce (those 2 aren’t necessary but we had them on hand) plus a splash of water to help it mix. This is the portion for 2lb of meat so adjust accordingly.

The trick is to time everything so it’s done at about the same time, then toss the veggies in the sauce, then add the noodles, then add the steak at the very end so it doesn’t overcook.

Hopefully that all makes sense - I’m a better cook than I am a technical writer!

Edit: also I added some scrambled eggs to the leftovers and that turned out to be a good choice.

[EmilyQ]

@BrandonCrawford

london broil

I thought so - and I knew it was cooked separately. Interesting that everything is - thank you for writing it up, it was perfectly clear!

@BrandonCrawford

also I added some scrambled eggs to the leftovers and that turned out to be a good choice.

I do this as well to add protein and increase the quantity. I also make “quickie fried rice” pretty regularly - scramble a couple of eggs, add some cold rice and sesame seeds cooked up with pam and there you go.

I think what l liked about your pic is that the london broil just screams “yummy” because it’s not overcooked like most stir fry meat, and I’m so used to rice that noodles don’t even cross my mind.

[BrandonCrawford]

6/29/25
25 chins/80 pushups/120 BW squats in 10:00

6/30/25
AM
17 chins/51 pushups/85 BW squats in 6:00

PM
A1) Press - 45x10, 67x5, 83x5, 96x3, 107x11
A2) Ab Wheel - 3 sets of 5

B) BTN Press - 83x13+5+4 (rest pause)

C1) Deadlift - 45x10, 133x5, 186x5, 212x3, 240x20 (PR!)
C2) Ab Wheel - 3 sets of 5

D) Stiff Leg Deads - 186x12

E) Axle Curls - 22x50

F) Shrugs - 133x26

G) Dips - 18+9+7+5+5+5 (rest pause in 5:00)

54:45

I may have overshot my Press training max for this cycle but no biggie, I will hold it here and try to beat these weights next cycle. Can’t say the same about the deadlift though - I am clearly crushing those! I’ve PR’ed something in each of the last 2 sessions, which is an awesome feeling. Everything after that is just pump work.

It’s the end of the month which means I owe an update on my “daily work”. Here are my totals so far. Keep building that base!

• 10,555 BW Squats
• 8,360 Pushups
• 2,044 Pullups
• 52 hours running or rucking

Edit: wanted to share a couple more food pics. Have to give major credit to my girlfriend on these, as I’m a decent cook myself, but left to my own devices would probably live on smoked meats and fruit for the majority of my food. Sometimes I think her main reason for dating me is to have someone to practice her cooking skills on… but I’m not complaining!

Venison Shepherds Pie

Beef and Cabbage Stew

[SvenG]

@BrandonCrawford

C1) Deadlift - … 240x20 (PR!)

Congratulations! 20-rep deadlifts are no joke.

[BrandonCrawford]

7/1/25

30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest

18 chins/60 pushups/73 BW squats in 6:00

Brian Alsruhe just posted a new video on YouTube. The subject matter isn’t really applicable to me right now other than maybe if I need to speed run an events day, but he drops some broader knowledge at about the 5 minute mark (paraphrasing):

“If more people just worked in the 80-90% intensity range, ate more protein, forgot half the stuff we supposedly know, and actually worked harder instead of smarter, they’d make a lot more progress”.

Tagging a few people who may appreciate this @alex_uk @T3hPwnisher

30 Min WORKOUTS that are WORTH IT!!!

[T3hPwnisher]

I just watched that video! Always great to see Brian putting out new content.

[BrandonCrawford]

7/2/25

Sandbag Clean & Press - 100 x 1/2/3/4/2/1/3/2 (18 reps total)

• Every rep from the floor, strict pressing. Was going EMOM and trying to add a rep each round before the minute expired. Failed to do so on what would have been the round of 5, rested a minute, and then started again EMOM doing that weird bounce back down and up the ladder. Good benchmark, felt very strong here.

Sandbag Extensions - 150 x 3/3/3/3/3

• Again, every rep from the floor. Going every other minute. Really focused on driving through the heels and then popping up on to my toes. I don’t have anything stable to load on/over so this is the best way for me to train that pattern other than shouldering.

Sandbag Bearhug Carry - 200 x 100ft x 3 sets

• Super stoked with these, as I’ve never done anything with this bag besides carry it from the jeep to the shed. The hardest part was honestly the pick. Rested a good 2-3 minutes between rounds.

31:30

Very time efficient with the equipment selection. Could have snuck some grip/fluff stuff in there but its nice to not have to rush through my morning routine.

[alex_uk]

@BrandonCrawford

Sandbag Bearhug Carry - 200 x 100ft x 3 sets

That’s phenomenal, I love seeing the sandbag work, it’s in my near future, want to be able to treat the 90 & 110kg (198/242lbs) with disdain - then buy bigger bags!

[BrandonCrawford]

7/2/25 (cont.)
16 chins/56 pushups/70 BW squats in 6:00

7/3/25
30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest
18 chins/54 pushups/90 BW squats in 6:00

7/4/25
AM
A1) Bench - 45x10, 89x5, 113x5, 129x3, 146x13 (PR!)
A2) Lying Leg Raise - 3 sets of 10

B) Close Grip Bench - 113x18+8+6 (rest pause)

C1) Squat - 45x10, 111x5, 170x5, 195x3, 219x14
C2) - Ab Wheel - 3 sets of 5

D) Front Squat + Back Squat superset - 170x10+11

E) DB Row - 62x30 (left), 30 (right)

51:35

PM
18 chins/54 pushups/66 BW squats in 6:00

7/5/25
18 chins/49 pushups/80 BW squats in 6:00

7/6/25
30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest
25 chins/80 pushups/120 BW squats in 10:00

7/7/25
A1) Press - 45x10, 67x5, 89x5, 100x3, 111x9
A2) Hanging Knee Raises - 3 sets of 5

B) BTN Press - 89x10+5+4 (rest pause)

C1) Deadlift - 45x10, 133x5, 199x5, 225x3, 252x17 (PR!)
C2) Dip Bar Knee Raises - 3 sets of 8

D) Stiff Leg Deads - 199x12

E) Axle Curls - 22x55

48:06

A lotta good training sprinkled throughout a crazy busy weekend. That front + back squat superset was absolute murder. And the deadlift PR gave me the dizzy head ringing again. All good fun. Looking ahead this week, I might be able to pull a double PR out of bench/squat day, and I have to make sure to get my events day on a non-rainy day this week. Very happy with how things are going. I’ve been eating way more meat and a bit less starches and I am digging the physique results too.

[SvenG]

@BrandonCrawford

A1) Bench - … 146x13 (PR!)

Nice work!

[simo74]

@BrandonCrawford

C1) Deadlift - 45x10, 133x5, 199x5, 225x3, 252x17 (PR!)

And this. Quality

[SvenG]

@simo74

And this.

Not sure how I missed that—quality indeed!