Not my smartest hour. But I love training outside and I love this strongman stuff.
That’s why they call it STRONGman and not SMARTman.
5 Likes
Strict log press really helped my tricep strength for push pressing a normal bar so theres some carry over!
1 Like
7/30/25 (cont.)
10 chins/30 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
7/31/25
12 chins/36 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest
8/1/25
A1) Bench - 45x10, 89x5, 113x5, 129x3, 146x14 (PR!)
A2) Lying Leg Raise - 4 sets of 10
B) Pause Bench - 113x15+7+5 (rest pause)
C1) Squat - 45x10, 133x5, 170x5, 195x3, 219x15
C2) Ab Wheel - 4 sets of 5
- +1 rep over last cycle at this same weight, and this is 1 rep shy of a PR at this weight. Satisfied with that progress. Legs are slowly but surely getting where I want them to be.
D) Pause Squat - 170x13
E) DB Row - 68x27 (left), 27 (right)
51:21
Thought about doing some more assistance work but at past the 50 minute mark there wasn’t much time for anything else. May start sneaking some lateral raises in at the end of this day, and might start working some rear delt work in between main lifts. All in all though, things are working so damn well right now that I’m not sweating the small stuff.
Another month in the books means another update is due on my daily work experiment. Still plugging away, realizing I don’t really need to push these sessions that hard and that it’s the accumulation of work that matters.
- 12,519 BW Squats
- 9,869 Pushups
- 2,487 Pullups
- 59 hours running or rucking
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I am not sure I could do 2000+ pull ups in a decade.
2 Likes
8/1/25 (cont.)
14 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
8/2/25
15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest
8/3/25
15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
I’m now over 10K pushups on the year. I’ve also set Bench PRs for 5 weeks straight. Coincidence? Hmmmm
Scored a killer deal on marketplace for a charcoal grill plus 2 bags of charcoal, a bag of wood chips, a chimney starter, a grill brush and a grill cover all for $30. My BBQ area is looking legit.
Looking forward to a great week of training.
8 Likes
Is it weird that I’m more excited by 10K push-ups and bench PRs than your grills?
(That said, I totally appreciate the legitimacy of your BBQ area—dinner at your place, haha!)
3 Likes
@Friedrich Thanks for stopping by. I will say that they don’t feel like much each day, but yeah the number is a little shocking when looking at the big picture. I have a really thick pullup bar and that has been key in keeping my elbows happy through this whole thing.
@SvenG Just diversifying my content to attract a wider audience 
8/4/25
A1) Press - 45x10, 67x5, 89x5, 100x3, 111x11 (PR!)
A2) Hanging Knee Raises - 4 sets of 5
B) Trap Bar Press - 89x11+3+3 (rest pause)
C1) Deadlift - 45x10, 133x5, 206x5, 232x3, 261x13 (PR!)
C2) Ab Wheel - 4 sets of 5
D) 1" Deficit Deads - 206x15
E) Shrugs - 133x26
- Did this while stripping down the deadlift bar. Trying to be smart and efficient about doing assistance work that requires little setup. I hate spending a bunch of time to setup an exercise for only a set or 2.
F1) Axle Curls - 33 x 13/11/9/8
F2) Dips - 13/8/5/6
- Did this on a Tabata timer instead of doing that 1 allout set of curls. The arm pump was outrageous. Will bump this up to 5 rounds next time. Using a false grip on curls has really helped.
48:15
Just an outstanding day. PR’s on both barbell lifts plus some great full body assistance work? Yeah, I’ll take it. Also -
Called it 
7 Likes
8/4/25 (cont.)
15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
8/5/25
15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest
8/6/25
A) 10lb Med Ball Throws - 7 reps, alternating between chest pass and overhead toss
- Jim Wendler sent me a cease and desist saying I can’t claim to be doing 5/3/1 if I don’t do jumps and throws, so this day felt like a perfect opportunity to add them in. Went every 45 seconds or so. I’ve given up on buying a quarter keg to throw, but may get a bigger med ball to have some variety.
B) Clean & Strict Press Medley (60 second AMRAP/2 minutes rest) - 128lb Log + 95lb Stone + 100lb Sandbag - 2/4/2/2 (rep counts are the sandbag)
- Blitzed that 2nd round, then fumbled the stone press on the 3rd round and basically had to do 2 reps with it, and that cost me on those last 2 rounds.
C) Sandbag to Shoulder - 150lb x 1 x 10 rounds EMOM
- Not much to say. Typical grunt work here. Really focusing on getting my arms low on the bag so it ends up high on the chest.
D) Sandbag Front Carry (150lb)/Keg Carry (100lb), alternating implements each round - 8 rounds of 100ft
- Started off going EMOM but that eventually became too much, still got all 8 rounds done in under 10 minutes. Goal will obviously be to do 10 in 10. 100ft is just a hell of a long distance to pack into a minute.
E) DOH Axle Hold - 110lb x 1:02
- I need to be doing something to train for the Rolling Thunder hold in October, so this seems as good an option as any, and I like slotting this here vs on either of my 2 other main training days.
53:02
7 Likes
8/6/25 (cont.)
15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
8/7/25
15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
30 minute walk w/ 20lb vest
I’ve started the ball rolling on what will be a major life change. I’m studying to take the CPA exam. I already have all the college requirements so it’s just a matter of buying the study materials and showing up on test day. I planned on doing this as soon as I finished grad school but life got in the way, and if I’m being honest, I was a mess back then so there’s no way it would have worked. I’m in a much better place now, and my work is going to pretty much cover all the costs, so I’d be a fool not to take advantage of that. This is pretty much the final hurdle to me reaching my career goals, which will in turn help me reach my life goals. Looking forward to the challenge.
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Nice man! My wife is a CPA and it really is such a valuable thing to have. Legitimately always will be a job for you. We had to move with short notice a couple years back, and my wife got a job immediately. Good luck, I’m sure you’ll get it done easily.
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Genuine LOL at this!
And congrats on the life change—always good to move forward.
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@Stormblessed @SvenG thank you for the well wishes
8/8/25
Morning
A1) Bench - 45x10, 89x5, 122x5, 137x3, 153x12 (PR!)
A2) Lying Leg Raise - 4 sets of 10
B) Pause Bench - 122x13+5+4 (rest pause)
C) DB Row - 70x25 (left), 25 (right)
23:30
Lunchtime
A1) Squat - 45x10, 133x5, 184x5, 208x3, 232x12 (PR!)
A2) Ab Wheel - 4 sets of 5
B) Pause Squat - 184x10
C) Lateral Raises - 15’s x 12 + 10’s x 10 + 5’s x 10 + 2.5’s x 10 (strip set)
22:30
Evening
15 chins/50 pushups/50 BW squats in 5:00
Schedule necessitated me splitting this workout in half but it didn’t matter because I am invincible right now. That’s 7 PRs this cycle and 13 total since starting the 5/3/1 28 Week Plan a few months back. Next week is a deload and then the 2nd phase starts where the supplemental volume increases, along with my training maxes. Onward and upward.
8 Likes
8/11/25 (deload week)
A1) Trap Bar Press - 45x10, 67x5, 78x5x5
A2) Hanging Knee Crunch - 5x5
A3) TRX-style Face Pull on ropes - 5x10
B1) Axle Curls - 33 x 13/12/10/11
B2) Dips - 13/10/8/7
C) Lateral Raises - 15’s x 10 + 10’s x 10 + 5’s x 10 + 2.5’s x 10 (strip set)
24:00
8/12/25 (deload week)
A1) Stiff Leg Dead - 45x10, 133x5, 199x5x3
A2) Plate Halo - 22x10x5
A3) DB Reverse Flyes - 10s x10x5
B) Sandbag Loading - 150 to 51" platform - 10 singles EMOM
28:41
Random thoughts-
- Still doing the daily work and vest walks but tired of copy and pasting each day. Will update at the end of each month as usual.
- Most likely moving to a 4-day upper/lower split compared to the 3-day full body I was doing. My assistance bro work will slot in on the upper days and my event work will serve as my lower assistance, or as off-day conditioning. This fits better with my schedule right now. Basically I need to get my workouts as bite sized as possible because they are not my top priority now that I’m essentially back in school.
- On the diet front, been eating just twice a day for a few weeks now, huge breakfast/dinner and just skipping lunch, and I dig it. Frees up a lot of time and mental space during the day.
- Built the sandbag platform using scrap wood to sit on top of my power tower dip bars, and used tow straps to hold it in place. MacGyver strongman equipment for the win. Will upload a pic shortly.
5 Likes
>On the diet front, been eating just twice a day for a few weeks now, huge breakfast/dinner and just skipping lunch, and I dig it. Frees up a lot of time and mental space during the day.
Glad to hear that’s been panning out well for you. I’m of the same mindset. Just bookend the nutrition and don’t sweat the middle.
Outstanding DIY rig there.
4 Likes
Loving the bush mechanic sandbag set up. Quality
1 Like
8/14/25 (deload week)
A1) Trap Bar Bench - 45x10, 89x5, 111x5x5
A2) Viking Row - 89x5, 133x5x5
A3) Dip Bar Crunches - 5x10
- Playing around with different movements to see what works in my gym space. I tried to flip the trap bar and press from the high handles but it was crazy unstable, like a bottoms-up KB press. I also found ways to do floor press and Z-press, so expect those to make appearances at some point. I think I can do chest-supported viking row too, but I need to experiment a little more with elevating the bench. If I can find a cheap V-handle I’d also be able to do T-bar rows.
B1) Ring Wide Pushups - 8/8/8
B2) Neutral Grip Rack Chins (off dip bars) - 8/6/6
B3) TRX-style Tricep Extensions (off ropes) - 10/9/8
B4) TRX-style Bicep Curls (off ropes) - 8/8/7
- 6 minutes with Tabata intervals. Great upper body pump, especially on the biceps with all the ring/rope instability. Going to start leaving the rope hanging from the top of the rack, and maybe the rings too, to make for easier setup for this stuff. Also interested in buying those grenade ball grips for other pullup options. I told my girlfriend I collect gym equipment like some people collect trading cards or comic books.
30:05
8/15/25 (deload week)
A1) Front Squat - 45x10, 111x5, 155x4, 199x3, 232x2, 243x1
A2) Ab Wheel - 5x5
- No desire to do typical deload straight sets so worked up heavy on a “lighter movement” instead. Going to hammer the front squats in the supplemental work next cycle, as they make me better.
B1) Farmers - 106 per hand x 50ft x 6 rounds EMOM (odd minutes)
B2) Backwards Sled Drag - +166 x 50ft x 6 rounds EMOM (even minutes)
- 12 rounds total. I highly rate both these movements but they were a poor choice for a medley due to how much setup they required (I have to drag everything from my yard to the common area as my yard is too narrow/twisty). I also need more weights for the shed as I had to set a sandbag on the sled to get it that heavy and it kept wanting to fall off.
38:26
8 Likes
8/18/25
A1) Press - 45x10, 67x5, 78x5, 91x3, 102x13, 120x4
A2) Ab Wheel - 6x5
B1) Axle Curls - 35x13/11/10/9/8
B2) Dips - 11/10/8/7/7
C) Lateral Raise - 15x10 + 10x10 + 5x10 + 2.5x10 (stripset)
30:19
- Mediocre day on the main lift, and I could tell it was going to be before I even started, and once that doubt creeps in its hard to shake it. Truth be told, I’m a little burnt out on the AMRAP sets, and with pushing the plain barbell SBDP for the top set each week. I’ve really come to appreciate the duality of having periods of “one all out set” vs “many submax sets”, and of having periods of specificity with just a few lifts vs a ton of variety and not repeating the same workouts each week. I used to think that whatever program I was doing at the time, that would be the program I was going to do forever. So silly - now I see why they say “everything works… for 6 weeks”.
- Assistance on the other hand was absolutely fantastic. Basically perfect if your situation was “I’m headed to the beach in 10 minutes, how can I catch an awesome pump?”.
8 Likes
8/20/25 - Brian Alsruhe’s “45 Master Sessions”: Day 1 of 45
Strength (20 minute time limit to get to top set):
A1) 4" Block Deadlift - 45x10, 133x5, 199x4, 243/276/298x3
A2) Ab Wheel - 6x5
Volume (10-minute EMOM):
B1) 4" Block Deadlift - 239x3x10
B2) Dip Bar Windshield Wipers - 10x10
Assistance (10-minute EMOM):
C1) V-Handle Landmine Rows - 134x11/7, 112x10/9/9
C2) Good Mornings - 89x7/7/7/7/7
43:36
- Going with my gut and switching back to the Brian program I was doing at the beginning of the year. Shorter sessions, submax work, tons of variety - should be everything I am looking for right now. Just need to remember to deload between each wave.
- Trying to break a lot of my self-limiting beliefs surrounding training. It doesn’t matter what days I train. It doesn’t matter what time of day I train. It doesn’t matter what order I do the days. It won’t be a big deal if I do 3 sessions 1 week and 5 sessions the next. All that matters is at the end of the year, I’ve put the work in squatting/pressing/pulling/hinging/loading/carrying… and of course some beach work
9 Likes
8/21/25 - Brian Alsruhe’s “45 Master Sessions”: Day 2 of 45
Strength (20 minute time limit to get to top set):
A1) BTN Press - 45x10, 67x5, 78/89/100/106/111x4
A2) Hanging Knee Raises - 7x5
Volume (10 minute EMOM):
B1) BTN Press - 78x4x10
B2) Plate Uppercuts - 22x8x10
Assistance (10 minute EMOM):
C1) Pike Pushups - 11/10/10/10
C2) TRX-style Face Pulls (ropes) - 8/8/8/8
C3) TRX-style Tricep Extensions (ropes) - 10/11/12/10
C4) Trap Bar Shrugs - 133x14/13/12/12
43:03
- The bar path for BTN Press is funny. Almost shaved the back of my head a few times not getting it out of the way.
- I dig Pike Pushups for assistance. That was a good circuit, and I think 5 rounds is plenty doable next time I try it.
- This program has me very hungry. That’s another lesson I’ve learned this year - if you have to force feed yourself trying to grow, it just means you aren’t working hard enough.
11 Likes