Easy Strength Round 2 Day 2
Bear complex x8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 115lb, 2x5
Snatch- 45lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 125lb, 2x5
DB row-2x5
5 hanging leg raise
some KB bottoms up waiter walk with 12kg.
The strength movements all felt easy and very fast.
Failed miserably on the waiter walks- couldn’t keep the KB stable enough to walk. A bit surprised given how I’m pretty stable with 8kg now.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 3
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 115lbx5, 135lbx3, 155lbx2
Back Squat- 125lbx5, 155lbx3, 185lbx2
Snatch- 45lbx2, 55lbx2, 65lbx2
DB row- 2x5
5 hanging leg raise
4 KB goblet carry back and forth with 32kg KB.
Tried doing the carry without rest. 2.5/1.5
Bench felt strong- pausing 155lb felt easy.
The back squats required a bit of effort but felt easy overall.
Forgot to snatch before the back squat again. 65lb felt fine, which is good. I want to start off the floor asap, so this is a good sign.
Daily DB rows done in the way Dan John suggests may indeed be what I needed to unfuck my upper back. I can get some movement through it as I sit and type this right now, which feels great. Hopefully it gets better and better.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 4
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 115lb, 2x5
Snatch- 65lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 135lb, 2x5
DB row-2x5
5 hanging leg raise
4 rounds of suitcase carry with 28kg
2 laps each. One minute rest in between.
Suitcase carry was tough. Bench remains really easy. I’ll probably up the weight next week.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 5
Bear complex x8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 115lb, 2x5
Snatch- 65lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 145lb, 2x5
DB row-2x5
5 hanging leg raise
6 rounds of KB press then walk back and forth with 32kg KB.
This was single arm work. Did one arm, rested for 12 deep breath or so, then did the other arm. One min rest after both arms. Strict pressed 2x, then push-pressed the last one for both arms. Cool to see that I can strict press a 32kg KB.
The bench feels effortless and powerful. Squat slowing down a bit. Snatch feels good.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 6
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 115lb, 2x5
Snatch- 65lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 155lb, 2x5
KB row-2x5
6 hanging leg raise
4 rounds of trap bar carry with 225lb
Carried it down, 30 second rest, then back, 30 second rest. That is one round.
Had an early morning meeting, so I couldn’t lift in the morning today. Lifted in the afternoon instead. Everything felt very easy aside from the trap bar carry.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 7
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 115/125/135/145/155/165lbx1
Snatch- 65/80/95lbx1
Back Squat- 135/155/175/195/205/235lbx1
KB row-2x5
6 hanging leg raise
4 KB bottoms up rack carry with 12kg back and forth.
Everything felt fine. Power snatching 95lb felt light but the overhead squat went a bit wobbly.
I did a series of progression with the rack carry- started from a true rack and pressed it slightly higher with each round. Last one was nearly a half press and that one took a lot of effort. The rest felt fine.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 8
Dan John’s Complex Cx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 95lbx10
Snatch- 65lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 115lbx10
KB row- 2x5
6 hanging leg raise
8 total sled pushes with 140lb. Went down the path, 45 second rest, then back.
First four felt like I wasn’t pushing anything. Then it started to drag by six and the last one felt pretty darned hard.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 9
Dan John’s Complex Dx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lb, 2x5
Snatch- 75lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 165lb, 2x5
KB row- 2x5
6 hanging leg raise
4 rounds of KB front rack carry back and forth with 32kg and 36kg.
One minute or so rest between rounds.
Bench felt a lot slower today and the overhead squat portion of the snatch felt a bit iffy.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 10
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lbx5, 145lbx3, 165lbx2
Snatch- 75lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 165lbx5, 195lbx3, 225lbx2
KB row- 2x5
6 hanging leg raise
6 rounds of suitcase carry with 28kg
2 laps each on the first 4, then 1 lap each on the last One minute rest in between rounds.
Bench felt a lot better today- faster and more stable. 165lb moved really well.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 11
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lb, 2x5
Snatch- 75lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 175lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
5 hanging leg raise
4 rounds of trap bar carry with 245lb
Carried it down, 1 min rest, then back, 1 min rest. That is one round.
Lifted in the afternoon again. The strength movements all felt very good and easy. Trying my best to apply maximal force to the bench and squat.
The trap bar carries really began to wear me down after the second round. Got pretty fatiguing and I’m feeling it even now.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 12
Dan John’s Complex Bx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lb, 2x5
Snatch- 75lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 185lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
5 hanging leg raise
4 KB bottoms up rack carry with 12kg back and forth.
Snatches didn’t feel as good today- likely because I’m feeling a bit sore. Same with the back squats- wasn’t hard but sure wasn’t easy either. Slowed down a bit on the last couple of reps.
Forgot to mention last time- I’m switching hands on the ‘back’ and ‘forth’ with a minute’s rest after each back and forth. Did half presses. LOTS of tension.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 13
Dan John’s Complex Dx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lbx5, 150lbx3, 170lbx2
Snatch- 75/90/105lbx1
Back Squat- 185lbx5, 215lbx3, 245lbx2
DB row- 2x5
5 hanging leg raise
4 sled push back and forth
The strength movements all felt good. Snatch finally requires some effort with 105lb. This is probably my first time pausing squatting 245lb, so that’s neat too.
I did the sled pushes without any added weight and rest. Got hard on the lower body real quick.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 14
Dan John’s Complex Ex8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lb, 2x5
Snatch- 75lb, 2x5
Back Squat- 195lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
5 hanging leg raise
2 KB farmer’s carry with 40kgs back and forth. One min rest between sets.
I think I about found a good weight to begin practicing with on the squat. These weren’t easy, and I think a lot of that is because I’ve been going to bed very late the past couple of days and it’s catching up to me. The bench felt easy though, so I know that’s not entirely the case.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 15
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lb, 2x5
Snatch- 75lb, 2x5
Back Squat- 195lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
5 hanging leg raise
4 rounds of KB front rack carry with 2x cleans with 36kg back and forth.
cleaning 36kg isn’t easy for me atm, so this doubles as practice. One min rest between rounds.
Squats felt easier but slower.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 16
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 125lb, 2x5
3x 2 Power Snatch, 1 Overhead Squat with 85lb
Back Squat- 205lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
5 hanging leg raise
3 rounds of trap bar carry with 275lb
Carried it down, 1 min rest, then back, 1 min rest. That is one round.
Lifting in the afternoon feels so much easier. Trap bar felt heavy.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 17
Dan John’s Complex Bx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 130/140/150/160/170/180lbx1
3x 2 Power Snatch, 1 Overhead Squat with 85lb
Back Squat- 165/185/205/225/245/265lbx1
DB row- 2x5
2x3 hanging leg raise
4 KB bottoms up rack carry with 12kg back and forth.
The top sets all felt good. Pauses on both movements got shorter and shorter as I ramped up- I barely paused on the 265lb for example. Overall these are clear PRs though- I’ve never even attempted pause reps with this much weight before, so that’s neat.
I tweaked my right knee over the weekend, so I cut down on the overhead squats in an attempt to reduce possibilities of something going weird. Knee feels a bit off on the warm up complex but ok on the strength movements. The 265lb took effort though, and this affected the knee.
I’m starting to add a 3 sec pause at top on the hanging leg raise, hence the change in rep scheme.
Foolishly tried a fully pressed walk with my right arm and paid for it by tiring something out. Ended up doing the right arm as a rack carry. Kept the left as half presses.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 18
Dan John’s Complex Dx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 95lbx10
3x 2 Power Snatch, 1 Overhead Squat with 85lb
Back Squat- 115lbx10
DB row- 2x5
2x3 hanging leg raise
6 total sled pushes with 160lb. Went down the path, 45 second rest, then back.
I felt flat today. Did the back squats as continuous squats. The sled pushes felt tough from the get go.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 19
Dan John’s Complex Ex8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 135lb, 2x5
3x 2 Power Snatch, 1 Overhead Squat with 85lb
Back Squat- 205lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
2x3 hanging leg raise
6 sled pulls back and forth with 70lb.
One min rest between sled pulls. Legs, particularly left leg, get sore on the return.
Bench felt a bit slow again. Let’s see if it goes to feeling very easy next week like how 125lb did. The squats felt mentally tiring and slow. I realized yesterday that I’m feeling a little sick, so that + late night sleep the last couple of days may be why.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 20
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 135lbx5, 155lbx3, 175lbx2
Snatch- 85/95/115lbx1
Back Squat- 195lbx5, 225lbx3, 255lbx2
DB row- 2x5
2x3 hanging leg raise
1/2/3x 36kg KB clean, then walk with the KB
30 second rest between sets. Alternated arms. So this essentially halves the amount of walking and doubles the cleans. I never appreciated how much grip strength KB cleans require until now- didn’t have a problem with cleaning 32kg but doing just 2 reps on the 36kg is a struggle.
Felt foggy and thoroughly unmotivated today. 155lb felt like a struggle. Focused more and 175lb felt much easier. 115lb snatch felt tough- upper body strength and stability really struggled on both the power snatch and overhead squat here. The squats felt ok. 255lb felt like a good challenge.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 21
Dan John’s Complex Ax8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 135lb, 2x5
Snatch- 85lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 205lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
2x3 hanging leg raise
5 rounds of Armor Building Complex with 135lb
Lifting in the afternoon remains easy. The first set of back squat feels easy and strong, a bit fatigued on the second set. Form seems to be improving thanks to the pause.
I didn’t have space to do any loaded carries unless I wanted to just walk like 5 steps at most. So I did some Armor Building Complex instead. Felt strong. Everything felt a heck of a lot easier and stronger. Added a bit of a push to the press on round 4 and 5 out of habit.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 22
Dan John’s Complex Bx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 135lb, 2x5
Snatch- 85lb, 3x2
Back Squat- 205lb, 2x5
DB row- 2x5
2x3 hanging leg raise
3 rounds of trap bar carry back and forth with 185lb
I’ve been having a lot of soreness/tingly feeling/just general fatigue in my forearms after doing pull ups since last Thurs. It may have been because of the small cold that I got, but I’m also worried that it is due to general fatigue from lack of sleep (again!) and overdoing it with holding things. So I dropped the weight on the trap bar carry.
Felt very flat today. Getting through the complex took a while and I lacked speed on everything.
Easy Strength Round 2 Day 23
Dan John’s Complex Dx8 with a bar
Flat Bench- 135lbx5, 160lbx3, 180lbx2
Snatch- 85/100/120lbx1
Back Squat- 205lbx5, 235lbx3, 265lbx2
DB row- 2x5
1x5 sit-up
2 KB bottoms up rack carry with 16kg back and forth.
The bench felt solid. The 120lb snatch was a mess- messed up the pull but somehow managed it, and the overhead squat felt really wobbly. I leaned forward a bit on the second rep of 265lb and it took quite a bit of effort. I thought maybe I could do a 16kg bottoms up rack carry if I halve the distance- turns out that I cannot. This got really wobbly and poor, especially with the left arm. Maybe I should practice this daily with my adjustable KB at home instead.