Hmmmā¦
You seem a bit conflicted. 
And Iāll argue that your sandbag work can at least contribute to hip mobility. It seems like it would be hard to pick it up if you can get down there.
Granted, you may not concede top end strength to improve other things, but it seems you still see their value.
Itās tough to admit, but the difficulty of my workouts (that look easy on paper) are proof that Iāve fallen further than I thought in terms of physical abilities. Sure, Iāve been lifting and look decent with a shirt on, but my true performance is crap. Iāve always been proud of my ability to step on a basketball court, softball field, etc and do well. I think I need to improve my motor (work capacity, cardio endurance) to get back to where I truly want to be.
1.20.25
INVICTUS DAY 11
Pretty solid workout as usual. I was slow to on the 100m runs (like 75% effort) but they felt great. Itās been awhile since Iāve attempted to run fast.
I opted for three rounds of the KB work because I had an appointment after the session. I used a 44lb KB for everything except rounds 3-5 on the swings. It felt like the workout was hammering my hamstrings and Iām worried about the potential crippling soreness that may follow. I dropped to a 20lb KB and was able to speed up the rounds, too.
I think I mentioned my back bothering me on workout 1 which caused me to go lighter. Itās getting better, but itās still there. I went to the chiro today and had them try some dry needling. Apparently I was tight enough that the needles bent when they jabbed me.
I definitely see the value and would obviously like to be mobile and pain free, I am just not willing to give up PRās to achieve it. I am greedy, I wont both.
Went to the eye doctor after work and then took my daughter to Immediate Care to see if she has the flu. My next workout looks like a cardio nightmare because it has more running. Iāll try it tomorrow when I can get to the gym before the rush. It was also a good call to lighten up the KB swings the other day. My hamstrings are sore but would have been wrecked if I didnāt make that adjustment.
You put way more thought into this (and your training in general) than I do, but I am constantly waffling back and forth between different versions of myself. I am never happy, or at least not for very long. I donāt even think we can easily define what it means to be mobile, to be strong, to have a good physique, etc.
I am fortunate in that I am comparing myself to myself. I gave up on looking at others long ago. Perhaps itās an excuse to give less than 100% of myself to my training. But Iāll be honest, I donāt care. Iām 40, Iām tired all the time, I have three kids who are just now getting into sports and extracurriculars (11, 8, and 3), and I just donāt have the time and energy to go at this like I used to. Back in 2018 and 2019 when I did a lot with my training and my body (gained 35 lbs, lost 40 lbs), I had Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday off from work. I dropped my youngest off at the Kid Zone for two hours and went upstairs and trained the entire time. Thatās not realistic anymore.
My goal is to get back to a specific look I had at 225 lbs in May of 2020. Maybe itās there; maybe it isnāt. I suspect I may look a bit smaller or might have to go lower than 225 to get to the same level of body fat (which wasnāt unreasonable).
So for me, I can make a fair assessment of whatās what with my body.
- mobility - get into a deep squat without pain, maintain shoulder mobility
- strength - best bench is 305, Iām usually good for about 275 without pursuing a specific bench goal. Best squat is 380, Iām probably good for 335-345 without squatting right now. Best deadlift is 555 and thatās long gone. Iām usually good for a minimum of 455 after an absence of deadlifting. OHP best is 170 and Iāve been at about 150 for the past three years.
- conditioning is based on my resting heart rate and ability to get up and down a basketball court. While Iām not playing much basketball these days, I can get a feel for this in this in these Invictus workouts. My ability to bounce back from a tough exercise that gets my HR in the 150s is a good indicator of my conditioning.
But thatās all for me. Weāre all different. The important thing for now is that my body feels pretty good and my back is getting better each week. Iāve always tried to cram a round peg into a square hole by forcing some CF type stuff into a traditional strength program and it never works. Iām trying to stick to the CF script for the T-ransformation challenge and give it a chance to do its thing. Iām curious where my physique will be when itās all said and done. Will I put on muscle? I seriously doubt it. But if I can maintain everything, lose fat, and improve my conditioning Iāll be happy.
1.23.25
INVICTUS DAY 13
Here is what Iām supposed to do today. Iāll come back later and make it official and add notes. It looks terrible because Iām still not in running shape. I also might eat it on box jumps after running and v-ups since those hit legs and hip flexors.
Well, I survived. The warm-up took just under 10 minutes and part B took 29:25. I apparently struggle to do single-leg V-Ups. I turned them into a glorified bicycle crunch. I also had to drop the reps thanks to abdominal cramping (muscle, not insides). Did 40, 30, 20 instead of 60, 40, 20.
The only CF type bike was taken so I used the regular bike in the warm-up.
I tried to hit a 10 min mile pace on the running and did pretty good. The .75 took 7:37. The .50 took 5:03. And the .25 took 2:33.
youāre 40 mate not 70, deff still possible to add a little size. I was 72kg and 42 years old when I got back in the gym, that was 8 years ago and I still plan on making small gainz this year.
I was referring to this particular program. Maybe I can add some muscle if I make my way to the Performance side of these workouts. Thatās the plan for tomorrow. The Performance group gets to squat while the Fitness group is doing front rack lunges and a couple other things Iāve never done.
That makes more sense. You have a clear goal for the next few months, stick with that and pivot after.
1.24.25
INVICTUS DAY 14
SQUATS
Decided to do increasing sets instead of 5x5 at one weight.
5 reps @ 185, 215, 235, 255, 275
Wall Ball was done with a 15 lb ball. The other stats are irrelevant.
Planned to train today. Had plenty of time to train today. But didnāt. Iām sore and since these workouts always challenge the legs, Iām taking a day to recover. The next workout has four rounds via E8MOM and the first task is to run 800m. Thatās going to take 5 of those 8 minutesā¦ Itās going to be tough.
Weighed 228+ this morning. 
1.26.25
INVICTUS DAY #15
This sucked.
True to my nature, Iām thinking about training and how it might need an adjustment. Iām pulling these workouts off of a website daily, but Iām not certain about their progression or weekly plan. Thereās a workout every single day. Surely they donāt expect their fitness clients to train seven days a week. So that leads me to figuring out the right balance. Do I pay them their monthly rate of $30 and get six workouts per week sent to me in advance? Theyāll send Fitness and Performance options and you can mix and match them as you see fit.
In addition to that option, I discovered a Muscle and Motor program they sell for $40 a month. Each training day is supposed to be 60 minutes or less and alternate between strength training and conditioning days. I also talk to an acquaintance who has been posting some of their CF workouts on social media. Dude is about my size and doing great (younger and single, too). He told me his gym has strength days and conditioning days and he doesnāt go every day. So that is one mark in the win column for something like a Muscle & Motor program.
Iām going to try to go back through some programs Iāve saved over the years like HIIB (thanks, @kleinhound) and some BB/CF stuff I found on Tier Three Tactical. 5/3/1 has a BB the upper/Athlete the lower, but itās all running and prowler work. I hate steady state running but I enjoy these combinations like rowing, biking, jumps, wall balls, etc. The exercise might suck for a few minutes, but then you get to do something different. My brain likes that better.
Anyway, Iām not abandoning my commitment; just trying to figure out my next step. Iām not sure if Iāll get any training in the next two days. Iām going to the chiro after work for an adjustment and dry needling (back is still crap). And I just received an e-mail informing me I have a mandatory range qual Tuesday at 5pm. All of us officers have failed to schedule it so the boss just made it official. Iāve put it off hoping to do it when Iām working a shift or a basketball game, but it never worked out. My truck gets 11 mpg and itās a 20+ mile drive to work, so working an hour is a wash for me.
1.29.25
INVICTUS DAY 16
Deceit was fine until the lunges. I took two steps and nearly dislocated a shoulder with the 24kg KBs. I had to switch to the 16kg ones and it still sucked. I made it 10 steps and then did sets of 6, 6, 6, 4, and 4 I think.
That smoked my shoulders so bench sucked. I wasnāt going to be benching my bodyweight anyway. I did:
165 x 13, 9
155 x 9, 8
145 x 8
Pull-ups were a disaster, too. By set 4 I couldnāt do any unassisted. I used a plyo box to assist myself.
1.30.25
INVICTUS DAY 17
This was interesting.
Well, Iām pathetic compared to CrossFitters. I made it through round 9 in 10 minutes - didnāt even get to round 10.
Part B was okay. I did two rounds as written but it was heavy on the flutter kicks. I used the biggest KBs at 53 lbs each. I did 50 flutter kicks for rounds 3 and 4 and then quit. I was about 9 minutes into the 16. I the decided to just do the carries. 100 ft of front rack carry followed by 100 ft of farmers carry x 3.
Iāve emailed Invictus back and forth a few times throughout the week. I think Iām going to purchase my first ever training program (my 5/3/1 book was a gift). They have one called Muscle & Motor and it alternates between the two. I was also told that I found do half of the Muscle with half of Motor on a single day if I wanted.
I donāt anticipate the muscle being anything new to me. I just need to figure out how to combine that with all the other CF stuff. Iām also enjoying just doing the workout says instead of having my own say.
There have been quite a few sessions where I looked at it and thought āI donāt want to do thatā¦ That looks terrible.ā But I did it anyway because that was the workout for the day.
I think this is the often overlooked benefit of following a program or a coach. Doing what we are told and just hitting the numbers has big benefits
1.31.25
INVICTUS DAY 18
18 workouts since Jan 6th. Not bad. I keep saying Iām going to start the paid program but Iāve wanted to do the posted workouts the last two days.
As you can see, I had to modify some things. 270 meters is one lap of my gym. Itās 6 laps for a mile. Running after a bike sprint sucks. I kept them under a 7 minute pace but they were brutal and felt slow. Definitely not sprints.