Definitely lean toward that prowler. It’s the simplest conditioning in the world. Minimal set up, minimal execution, maximal effort, stupidly simple to up the difficulty on as needed.
Glad you dug the trap bar overheads. I feel like it’s a great mix between barbell and dumbbell overhead pressing.
AM WORKOUT (0315 wake up via alarm) FASTED
SNAKEHANDLER MASS
3 front squats of 225
4 log vipers 135
5 burpee chins
17 rounds in under 43 minutes (16 done in under 40, a PR)
20 standing ab wheels
Notes: Made the decision to push for another round vs get in daily work and it was absolutely the right call. Really discovered some magic with this one. Burpee chins were the missing link, and now that I got that in this just hits everything and brutalizes me. My legs were showing the symptoms of Zeno squats yesterday, but this got some life into them.
Working a 12 today, with Tang Soo Do tonight. Heavy conditioning based day. If I have the chance, I’ll get in some more daily work, but otherwise totally at peace with how this shook out. Honestly just a great start to the morning.
I’m really gravitating toward this training. Maybe my future will hold some 5s pro for main work and then just finishing out with this as a training style. We’ll see.
It takes a few moves to match the Viper Press. That makes sense.
I remember us having that discussion before and I was drawing a blank. Perhaps somewhere out there is the 1 move to set it straight, but until that time these 2 will do, haha.
The beauty of simplicity.
Simplicity paired with brutality. I used to absolutely prefer focusing on a single lift per day, and now doing that drives me batty. I want to hammer the whole body and force it to grow. And I want to get my conditioning AND my strength done at once rather than chunk them apart. I love how this is heavy enough to push me but light enough to break my lungs.
AM WORKOUT (0327 wake up via dog)
SUPERSETS (press-chin)
Log clean and strict press away
5xLog
5x120
5x140
5x160
5x180
6x195 (1 rep and 5lb PR from previous cycle)
Axle clean and strict press away w/rest pause
16+5+6x141
Weighted NG chins 35lbs
7x8
GIANT SETS (press odd sets/dips even sets-dip-raise-pull)
Trap bar press 145
2x10
1x8
Weighted dips 90
3x10
Dips
6xF
DB lateral raise 20lb
3x11
3x10
Band pull aparts
6x15
Kroc rows 115
1x19
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
CONDITIONING
“TABEARTA”
20 rounds of Bear Complexes w/95lbs at 20 seconds on/10 seconds off
Notes: Got to bed late last night. Worked a 12 then went straight to Tang Soo Do. Wife and I both got another set of stripes on our belts, so we’re one away from being testing eligible again, and we’ve already got that criteria down. Our instructor actually told me last night “Maybe we’ll eventually find some curriculum to slow you two down”, as we’ve gone from the most junior students in the class to third most senior. I honestly was riding the struggle bus all class: my 12 drained me mentally, and trying to remember my Korean vocab while coordinating my left and right was causing some misfires in the synapses. But good to know I still got it when I need it.
Despite all that and the dog waking me up this morning, I felt refreshed and charged up. Went conservative with the topset and got a little chipshot PR, and it was awesome. 5 strong reps and the one shaky, grindy “press with every muscle you have and hold the lockout for 15 seconds just to make sure you have it” rep. Good to find that back in myself.
Ran into a weird sensation on the trap bar press of something in my forearm snapping on the eccentric. This happens whenever I do a lot of trap bar pressing. It’s not problematic: just weird. Something in the connective tissue.
I recently adjusted my Inzer belt so it would fit over my Slingshot strongman belt. It’s a bit looser than what I had before, but gives me more coverage around the core, which is nice for log cleans. Less pinching.
TABEARTA is always exactly what I need and I hate it. Really focusing on being explosive out of the squats.
Was thinking on the drive over how so much of what I’m doing these days is “floor raising” vs “ceiling raising”. I have no idea what my maxes are, I’m not pushing into new territories often, but my “on demand” performance is just getting nutty. I see it in how little I need to eat before training, how my warm-ups are pretty non-existent, and how I’m hammering the same muscles every day. So much of my training is based around being just as strong at the end as I was when I started. I feel like this is a solid evolution as I age. Spend the 20s raising that ceiling, spend the 30s getting the floor to match.
Oh god, am I getting real?
How meta of you.
But on a serious note, that last paragraph struck a chord with me.
Happy to hear it did dude! It’s been interesting finding my way these past few years.
Maybe a little different end focus than what you are going for, but I used to here this a lot in the realms of more tactical training. Had a few mentors who all mentioned the idea of being always fight ready. Can you bench 315? Maybe not, but I can bench 250 for a few reps, then run a mile, carry a log, do a ton of pull-ups, run with a ruck back, and do that shit again tomorrow.
Back when I was getting my degree, surrounded by other young dudes full is testosterone also in the military, everyone wanted to be strong as a bull. 1rm every week lol. It’s cool, and honestly still a goal, but there was definitely a reason all the seasoned older guys didn’t chase maxes anymore. Just spent years and years building fricking hard bodies that could put in work, and as a result could still smoke our ass even with a 20 year age disadvantage.
@atlas13 That sums it up real well. No peaking, no build up: just be able to produce every time you go to the tap. What a great way to be!
AM WORKOUT (0330 wake up via alarm)
(3) Texas Deadlift Bar touch and go Mat Pulls
5x135+chains
5x225+chains
1x315+chains
1x385+chains
12+5+4x455+ chains (rest pause)
12 minutes EMOM
Odd Minute: (3) Deficit deadlifts 315
Even Minute: SSB squat 205
8-7-6-5-4-4
Axle shrugs against short strong bands
1x35
Transition immediately to 50 pull aparts, neck harness, neck curls, 40 reverse hypers w/50lbs, 20 standing ab wheels
POST WORKOUT SHAKE
CONDITIONING
2 KB clusters w/45lb bells-5 chins-2 clusters-5 dips
Managed 8 rounds of that in 10 minutes, finished out 2 more rounds untimed to get my 50 reps of daily work
Notes: Came into this one feeling much better than last week, and my lats weren’t nearly as torn up. Noticed things were strong on the warm-up. Thinking that this return to mat pulls is bringing back some of my deadlifting. Topset rocked. However, after that set of 12, I put the bar down a little harder than usual (forgetting it was only 0330) and felt like I was done. I had to actually breathe BETWEEN my deep breaths. I still found the rest of the workout in me, but it was interesting how taxing that was.
Oh my god that EMOM is so awful. I’m so upset I discovered it. It’s absolutely making me better. Got an extra rep from last week.
Conditioning wasn’t a total ballbreaker but enough to answer the mail. I’m most likely going to do something really stupid this weekend, so that will help.
This diet break has been just what I needed. My digestion has really settled and I am just “comfortable” so much now. Not walking around always feeling full/bloated. Training belt and clothes fit well. I’m always hungry, which is awesome. I’m still nickel and dime-ing things down to adjust my baseline, and should be in a solid place to grow when the time comes. Really doing my best to keep the eggs and beef in the diet though: I’ve been seeing great results from including them and keeping them, and last time I took them out I saw some regression.
Hey @T3hPwnisher have you ever made a meatlovers pizza using non carb dough. I guess it would be a keto pizza?
I have not. But I have had keto pizza before.
Love the new blog post
So true
Would love to know where my YT channel fits in there 
I liked the new new blog post and agree with most of not all of your rant. Do you not think though that it is the same for written word as much as it is social media. Bodybuilding magazines have been sprooking workouts of the pro’s with pictures of stage ready bodybuilders supposedly lifting big weights when they are so tired they can barely lift their arm to drink a small amount of water they allow themselves today. There has also always been some great books and articles about lifting, you just need to have a bullshit detector to tell the difference.
@ChongLordUno Much appreciated dude. You’re definitely the “footage of killing a million goblins” I wrote about. THAT’S where the magic is really happening: the big reveal is simply the end.
@simo74 I don’t think it’s the same at all, primarily because I couldn’t even name 4 bodybuilding magazines currently in print. Heck, this website used to be an in-print magazine and has since gone digital. I’ll say that, BEFORE social media, the same tricks were used by the same hucksters with magazines: absolutely. But as the technology evolved, they had to move on. And this technology benefitted them so much more for the reasons mentioned. MUCH easier to skim a magazine than a video, haha.
Slept until 0620 and got in 36 rounds of burpee over bar fasted. Weekend off to an awesome start. Had Tang Soo Do last night and it was just a blast: solid class of 1 steps partnered up with this Mrs. Bragging about her: she’s lost over 11lbs over the past 40 days. She did it by meticulously recording her caloric intake and denying herself NOTHING: just portion control, along with running everyday. My complete opposite, my balance in life, and both of us living testaments to how the method doesn’t matter: it’s the effort, consistency and time/patience.
I’ve got my eye on some of these specifically for Prowler work after I detached the sole from some running shoes haha.
Are they true to fit?
I wear the same size in them as I do in Chucks and running shoes
Thanks man!
Another vote of confidence in your most recent blog post. Much prefer articles and blogs over videos, or worse, podcasts.
My favorite video maker is Brian Alsruhe (surprise, surprise) because A) his videos are primarily informative gold mines, and B) they are super real. I don’t know how many are of him squatting like 600lbs for reps and being like “well my workout sucked today, watch me punish myself with assistance and conditioning hell for missing a rep”.
Also since my house is now a covid ward I went and purchased Purposeful Primitive and Brawn, along with a bunch of Steve Rinella outdoors books but that’s off topic, to pass the time. I can see how people get in trouble with one-click purchasing haha.