The Lifting Between Mountains - Raising the Valley

[unbearded]

3/21/23

Quick Conditioning
6 1-pump burpees EMOM x 5 mins (roughly 30s work / 30s rest)
(30 burpees, gonna add more rounds! gonna add more burpees!)

Run: 2.5 mi, hill sprints, 234’ of elevation
.5 mi WU
20 min AMAP

• 8 x 180m hill, gradual sloping
• walk down
  (8th lap started as 20 min timer went off)

.25 mi CD

Notes: crazy butt and hamstring pump from the hill sprints (literally why)
Early birthday dinner tonight! Steak with cilantro and chipotle in adobo rub with grilled bananas.

[unbearded]

3/22/23

Quick Conditioning
6 1-pump burpees EMOM x 10 mins
(60 burpees - gonna add more burpees/round!)

Run: 5.04 mi, slow slow slow, 158’ gain
Ran with GF and we both WERE NOT feeling it. My heart and lungs were hardly working hard, but I could barely turn my legs over. So slow. So so so slow.

[unbearded]

@Jim_Wendler

Train 2 days/week

5’s PRO and 5x5 FSL for all lifts - two lifts/day.
Superset ONE assistance exercise between all main lifts.

Squat and Deadlift - dips
Bench press - DB Squat
Press - DB SLDL

TM at around 80-85%. All workouts should be done in such a way that you are never, ever worn out after.

-from Jim Wendler

Found on a four year old thread about 5/3/1 training and running - keeping here reference for my next cycle. Straight from the horse’s mouth!

[Orro19]

There is a good write up on Wendler’s website, too. I’ll see if I can find it…

Personally, I found running and strength work so so hard to balance, equally my focus was running or bust and my training knowledge somewhat limited! I wish I had discovered the above sooner… Anyway, you’ve done a good job so far, looks like you’re very much focused on the endurance stuff? The key take away above is not to wear yourself out in the gym, slow and steady progress is still progress.

[unbearded]

Awesome! Yea, please share if you find it.

It’s been a challenge to get quality runs in for me while hammering the strength and size templates, but I did decide to focus on strength for the winter (even pre-starting this log) with the idea that I would transition back to more endurance focus once the weather got nice.

@Orro19

Anyway, you’ve done a good job so far, looks like you’re very much focused on the endurance stuff? The key take away above is not to wear yourself out in the gym, slow and steady progress is still progress.

Thank you! Will very much keep that in mind as I switch to a lighter template. I think it will be nice to feel like my legs aren’t bricks every run again.

[Orro19]

https://www.elitefts.com/education/5-3-1-and-run/

Ref your plan there, if you can make it work for you, crack on, but I’d reconsider the weekly 800m work, I fail to see the purpose of that in preparation for a 50k (I ran myself in to the ground preparing for a marathon, took weeks to recover, I have a good understanding in how not to do it!)

[unbearded]

Sweet, thanks for the link!

@Orro19

I’d reconsider the weekly 800m work, I fail to see the purpose of that in preparation for a 50k

Totally - it’ll be a day for hills, rather than 800 repeats. The race is 7k’ of gain and loss, so having a “strength running” day once a week will be good, I think, and I like how they pair it with a leg day so as to not wreck the rest of the running for the week. Last year, the descents destroyed my IT band, so I’m into having a day dedicated to loading it with uphill and downhill repeats.

[unbearded]

2/23/23

Just walked and walked around NYC

2/24/23

Climbing: Chill bouldering sesh, really fun

Notes: I set out goals for this deload week, but throwing them all out and just walking and socially climbing/hiking is seeming like the real thing I need to get back at it strong af next week. My hip thing is slowly healing, I think, and my knees/legs were/are feeling tired tired tired, so this seems like the perfect time to go easy easy easy.

[unbearded]

2/25/23

Just chilled

2/26/23

Climbing: Went out for my 28th Bday with some trad leading in the Gunks! Just an afternoon lap on Betty, but an awesome way to ring in the 28th year.

Notes: Happy Birthday to me! 28 is the year of “More is More.”

[unbearded]

3/27/23

Run: 4 mi., hike up/run down, 1420’ gain
note: with Z and SJ

5/3/1 5s PRO FSL 5X5
Week 1, Press Day (TM: 100) - 1:22:55
note: will be going for PR sets for upper main lifts, keeping 5s PRO for lower. won’t be doing too much lower supplemental work to keep legs fresh for running.
worked out with Z, rest times were swapping weight and her sets

Main Work - Press

• 5 x 65/75
• 11 x 85

5x5 - Press

• 5 x 5 x 65
  ss with hang cleans
• 5 x 10 x 65

Supplemental

• Decline Chest Press (Machine) 5x10x90
• Cable Fly 5x10x40/50/60/70/80
• Reverse Cable Fly 5x10x40
• Ab Wheel (Knees) 1x10

[T3hPwnisher]

Happy birthday dude! 28 was a great year for me: here’s hoping for you as well.

[SvenG]

Happy (belated) birthday, dude.

@unbearded

28 is the year of “More is More.”

28, 29, and everything after—this is the right attitude!

[unbearded]

@SvenG @T3hPwnisher Thanks both!

---

Climbing: Incredible day out climbing, took Z out for her second day. Absolutely no lead head issues at all (as long as you don’t count saying “I can do this, I can do this” over and over during a slick, slabby section). Obviously, hoping to keep strong lead head on grades over 5.5, but here’s where we’re starting at after three years hiatus from climbing.

• Horseman 5.5
• Dennis 5.5
• Jackie (1 pitch) 5.5

[unbearded]

3/29/23

5/3/1 (Turned into I’m Not Doing Jack Shit)
Week 1, Squat Day (TM: 225)

Main Work - Squat

• 5x145/170/190
  Note: My right lower back/hip flared during this from the very beginning, so I dropped the FSL 5x5. I think I’m going to switch to 1000% Awesome, so that I don’t have so much lower volume all in a row in a given day and work the hell out of rehabbing this hip. I do not know what is wrong with it, but all squatting/hinging movements have flared it for the last several months and today was the ultimate warning sign - deal with it, it’s not going away on its own.

SS with Push Ups 5x10

Note: Was carrying SO MUCH FATIGUE in my upper body from the past few days. Walked over the pull up bar and couldn’t find the will to haul myself up. Walked over to the dip bar and couldn’t find the will to drop down. Really got pissed when my back thing flared. Hack squats also flared it, but leg press didn’t, so I’m thinking that’ll be the main work for 1000% Awesome cycle 1. Ugh. Or maybe split squats.

Run: 6.02 mi, tempo for 3 miles/easy back, 213’ gain
Note: In good news, my run felt awesome.

[unbearded]

3/31/2023

Run: 1.5 mi, treadmill, 8:36 pace

5/3/1 I’m Not Doing Jack Shit
Bench

• 5 x 65/85
• 3 x 95/115/135/ 155 (3 rep PR)
• 2 x 175 (2 rep PR / weight PR)

5 Min Conditioning
2 rounds of:
Sled Push w/ 90lbs (across Crunch Green)
5 x Sandbag Cleans (unknown weight)
Sled Push w/ 90lbs (across Crunch Green)
5 x 24kg KB Swings
5 x 24kg KB Squats

Personal note: Got a big raise and promotion at work yesterday! I guess that makes me feel strong and like I can max out bench.

[throwawayfitness]

@unbearded

big raise and promotion

congrats

[unbearded]

4/1/2023

5/3/1 1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 1

Jumps + Hip Warm Up + Bear Crawls

Squat

• 5 x 145 / 170 / 190
  went way better than last week. I think I HAVE to look down and slightly forward or I overly curve my back. Hitting a hollow body hold in between sets is a good cue for keeping the right position

SS Back Extension 5 x 10

Pull ups 5 x 10/10/5/6/5
SS Dips 25lbs 5 x 8/8/6/6/6

Bench

• 3 x 5 x 135
  was supposed to be 5 sets but the benches were all taken for an hour so I went heavy on the dips. Then the benches cleared up and this is what I got in. I did bench yesterday so no harm here

Run: 7.15 mi, easy pace (some walking thrown in - didn’t want to burn out for tomorrow), 694’
gorgeous run around Minnewaska. It’s the best place to run ever

Up at 4am tomorrow to climb Gothics!!!

[unbearded]

Summit achieved, more to come tomorrow

Wrecked

[unbearded]

4/2/2023

Training works! I am feeling so strong and only a little beat up.

North Face of Gothics
Time: 11:09:37
Distance: 13.59 mi
Elevation: 4,213 ft.

• Woke up at 4am to get on the road. Arrived at the Garden trailhead to set off at 8:54am.
• Took off down the approach at a good pace, on trail conditions were packed and not too icy. Left the trail at about 5 mi., strapped on snowshoes and followed the drainage to the base of the face.
• Tied in at the last flat spot before the climb and G led out. Good note here, we tied in before the climb started, so we never needed to belay out, just walked out the rope and running belay from there.
• First icy bulge was thin, G was runout above me (but on easy, stable terrain), and I don’t know how to ice climb so that was a bit panick-y, but kept it together and moved through it. I’m sure it was ugly, but that’s being a beginner for ya.
• 55+ degree angle slopes are, obviously, challenging and there’s no real way to train your legs for them without doing them, so that was harder than I even imagined, especially because my boots didn’t fit and my heels were lifting in the boot. Bad news. This remained an issue for the rest of the day. My feet were in agony for the duration of the climb and descent.
• Much of it was neve snow, so duckfooting and kicking in alternately. This was just about moving on up, not thinking too much about my legs, making sure the rope didn’t have slack, and sustaining pace.
• Figured out ice climbing (sorta) by the next bulge so that went easy.
• Coming off Gothics was deep post holing and tough route finding. I seemed to fall into every tree well there was. Then the steep descent on the Traverse Trail. Luckily no blue ice, but the bottom half was postholing to my groin every other step. Exhausting.
• Hit the main trail at about 3:30 and then pushed the six miles out. These were painful and I couldn’t wait to be done.

Conditions: Blue bird, sunny, teens and 20s temp, windy at summit.

Nutrition: Mixed nuts, string cheese, Blood Orange soda for the summit, a brownie.
Hit some walls, but kept a good pace throughout and finished faster than we walked in. Definitely needed to be drinking more water

Wins: Never red lined for a moment, but the pace was good! Training works!
Incredible views, cool new sport.
Once again proved that I can be thrown into things and hang, even if I don’t have a fucking clue.
G in his element! Cool to see a friend crush the things he loves and introduce me to his passion.

Opportunities: More food and water
New boots for foot pain (Scarpa?)

Final walk to the true summit after topping out the climb

[Orro19]

That sounds and looks fan effing tastic.