The Lifting Between Mountains - Raising the Valley

Training Training Logs
42

4/6/2023

Run: 3:31 mi, 9:00min/mi pace, 110’
running a trail half this Sat, so just keeping it easy

5/3/1 1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 1, Day 2

Deadlift (Trap Bar)

  • 5 x 175 / 205 / 230 lbs
    switching to trap bar for back strain and quad development

SS Press

  • 5 x 85 / 90 / 90 / 90 / 90 lbs

Incline Bench Press
95 lbs x 10
85 x 10/8/10/7
SS Hanging Leg Raise
5 x 5

Inverted Row 10/6/10
SS DB Walking Lunge 3 x 10 x 30 lbs each hand

5 Likes
43

4/8/2023

Run: Bear Mountain Squatch Half Marathon+ Trail Race
14.27 mi, 3:57:36, 16:39 min/mi, 3,031’ vert
Ran it like a HR training long run keeping GF company: HR breakdown below
Zone 1: 62.2% of the run
Zone 2: 22.5% of the run
Zone 3-4: Rest of it, pushed the last two miles to the end.

Fun, easy, local, steep.

3 Likes
44

4/9/2023

SQUATTING IS HARD AFTER A HALF MARATHON

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

Squat

  • 5 x 5 x 190lbs (so close to all my lower working weights being in the 200s!)
    wow this felt so hard and bad after the race yesterday. talked myself into every rep.
  • SS with SLSLDL 3 x 10 x 45lbs
  • and Seated Calf Raises 3 x 15 x 45lbs

Bench

  • 5 x 100 / 115 / 130lbs
  • SS with 25 reps total Ab Wheel
  • and 1 min total Hollow Body Hold

Curl to Press 3 x 10 x 25lbs

as running mileage picks up, I’m gonna switch to front squat main work to lower weight on knees

4 Likes
45

:exploding_head:

1 Like
46

4/10/2023

Run: 5.00 mi, recovery pace, 528’ gain
4 x strides to clear out legs

Rough day at work, running cleared out a lot of the frustration.

3 Likes
47

4/11/23

Run: 2.5 mi, hill repeats, 344’

  • 5 min warm up
  • 2 x 1 min hill
  • 2 x 45s hill
  • 2 x 30s hill
  • Run home

Woof, felt pukey. Got news about dog needing thousands of dollars of knee surgery, poor bub. Rough week all around.

3 Likes
48

sorry to read this

1 Like
49

4/12/23

5/3/1 1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 2, Day 1

Squat

  • 5 x 160 /180 / 205
  • SS with Pull Ups 8 / 8 / 8 / 8 / 5 / 3

Bench

  • 5 x 130
  • SS with Back/Side Extensions 5 x 10

BW Dips AMRAP 20 reps

Climbing: First two pitches of Sixish after work

  • Led P1, followed P2
3 Likes
50

4/14/23

Run: 3.5 mi, 96*F pace (walk/run), 315’
agh so hot! it’s summer i guess! time to start running in the morning

5/3/1 1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 2, Day 2

Deadlift (Trap Bar)

  • 5 x 190 / 215 / 245

Power Clean and Push Press

  • 5 min AMRAP with 95lbs
    Completed 6/6/5/4/3 = 23 reps (previous PR: 15)
    this took care of the rowing and pressing for the workout. nice to see some progress here, although it’s still not particularly impressive. i’m gonna keep this format for the pulling and pressing on Day 2, because it’s so effective and takes care of anaerobic conditioning

DB Incline Bench 3 x 10 x 40
Hanging Leg Raise 2 x 10 (but after the C&Ps I just couldn’t get my legs to jump to the bar haha)
Crunch Machine 15 x 100lbs straight / 10 x 100lbs each side

4 Likes
51

4/15/23

Climbing: Gunks
Went out with some new friends!

  • No Picnic (5.5) - lead
    I’ve led this many times before and it’s 50/50 if I’ll up and down climb the crux four times before committing or just send it and yell down, “That was easy”. Today was an up and down climb the crux four times kinda day. Finally, pulled it and yelled down, “Ugh, that was easy.” Something about that ledge underneath spooks me.
  • Short Job (5.4) - lead in one pitch
    Lovely left leaning crack on the second pitch. If you don’t place too much down low you can take it straight to the top without too much rope drag.

I think about one more week of 5.5 and I’ll start on the 6’s. I feel plenty strong to climb way harder, but it’s been years since I led on gear so… starting slow. Thankfully the Gunks offers plenty o’ adventure at low grades.

3 Likes
52

4/16/23

Run: 10 mi progression, 9:59 min/mi, 223’
Mile 1: 10:27
Mile 2: 10:13
Mile 3: 9:40
Mile 4: 9:15
Mile 5: 9:02
Mile 6: 9:13
Mile 7: 8:49
Mile 8: Easy
Mile 9: Fartlek, trying to spend as much time as possible at 8:30 pace on tired legs
Mile 10: Cool down

Should have brought a bit more food.

3 Likes
53

4/17/23

5/3/1 1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 2, Day 3

Squat

  • 5 x 5 x 190lbs
    warm ups felt heavy, first 2 sets felt heavy, and then suddenly the last three sets were fine.
  • SS with Bicep Curls 5 x 10 x 22.5lbs

Bench

  • 5 x 115 / 130 / 145lbs

Shoulder Press (Smith Machine)

  • 5 x 10 x 65lbs

Hike: One lap of Mt. B, unweighted, 942’

Hobblin’ around today. This cycle feels heavy. Might rerun the same squat weights for the next cycle.

5 Likes
54

Some stuff to add in here. Hit a wall on Wednesday and just could barely make it through the workday without falling asleep on Thursday. Took some much needed rest, finally feeling better today (Sunday)

4/21/2023
Run: 2.74 mi, slow pace on tough steep trail, 384’
slog on my normal trail loop

4/22/2023
Run: 3.13 mi, slow pace on tough steep trail, 1,280’
slog on a great new trail loop. Learned I was super dehydrated and it really affected performance and feel.

4/23/2023
Run: 6.50 mi, slow pace on tough steep trail, 1,837’
finally fun, awesome, pretty trail loop. Chugged water before.

Weekly Wrap:
14.3 mi, 4,442 ft
Low mileage, good vert

3 Likes
55

4/24/23

1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 3, Day 1

Ran 1 mile warmup

Gym was packed after work, so things were a bit out of order. Opened with some calf raises to kill some time (and because my calves were aflame during the steeps this weekend). Worked to 90lbs

Pull Ups

  • 8 x BW
  • 2 x 4 x 25lbs
  • 5 x 25lbs
  • 5 x BW (as wide as possible)

SS Dips

  • 5 x 8 x 25lbs

Then a rack opened up so I could do the main work

Squats

  • 5 x 170 / 190 / 215 (5 rep PR!)
    felt nice and strong for these.

Bench Press (Decline, because all the flat benches were taken)

  • 5 x 5 x 135lbs

Took absolutely every second of rest during this workout. I think trying to bust through it all as fast as possible was making it feel much harder than needed to maintain or even grow strength while focusing on conditioning elsewhere. And, also, taking away from my conditioning efforts elsewhere.

Y’all, I’m looking leaner every day and I’m NOT even trying. I don’t like 1000% Awesome, but I can’t deny that it works on a cut with a focus on having the weekends to spend in the mountains.

4 Likes
56

4/25/23

1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 3, Day 2

Deadlifts (SS with one legged hops)

  • 5 x 205/230/255
    Figure out how to make my sciatic nerve stop flaring (i think that’s what was happening). What feels like a slight curve to my back is actually a strong and braced position, and what I thought was a straight back is actually a bit hyperextended.

Power Clean and Push Press

  • 5 min AMRAP with 95lbs
    Completed 23 again
    And finally finally finally figured out the hip snap on cleans. My brain turned off at about rep 15 and all of a sudden my hips pulled through in a way they never had before and it was RIGHT. Psyched about this development, psyched about the calf engagement I get in power cleans, psyched about adding power cleans to lower leg days for some explosiveness.

Incline Chest Press (Machine) 4 x 8 x 90lbs
Crunch Machine
20 x 80 straight on
16 x 80 each side

Ended it with a walk. Ate a whole pound of chicken wings over the stove last night and maybe that was the missing spark to my training. Things felt good today.
I haven’t run this week in an effort to save myself for a Devil’s Path in a day this weekend, but the weather looks gross, so will have to start adding miles back in.

3 Likes
57

4/26/23

Was so stoked about power cleaning yesterday that I went back today to drill the “hips through.”

Power Cleans

  • Worked up to 145
    hit form breakdown. probably should have stopped while i still had the feel, but i was too amped

Quick 5 min kettlebell EMOM

One mile on treadmill to finish, 8:10 pace

Long work day so just a lil somethin’.

2 Likes
58

4/27/23

Run: 4 mi, 9:08min/mi, 226’ of gain
I am, obviously, slow. Getting faster. This was a tempo run. I’m finding an interesting phenomenon where at the fastest I can push my legs, my lungs and heart are… totally fine. So cardio is in a decent place I suppose, and leg strength and turnover are missing. Time to just start running faster. Less plodding at that same heart rate pace and get some pep in my step again.

Last time I did this loop was about a month ago and it was tempo run feeling at 9:54min/mi, so definite improvement.

I have the most beautiful commute in the world. An absolute pleasure to take a train pleasure cruise from the busy city to the quiet country along the river and then do a gorgeous road or trail run and then hit the hay.

3 Likes
59

4/29/23

1000% Awesome
Cycle 1, Week 3, Day 3

Warmed up with 2 min Jacob’s Ladder sprint
Jumps

Squats

  • 5 x 5 @ 190lbs

Bench Press

  • 5 @ 115 / 130 / 145
  • Joker Set 2 @ 165

Shoulder Press (rest pause) 30lbs x 25 reps (16, 4, 5)
Curls (drop sets) 10x30lbs | 5x25 | 5x20 | 5x15

Three weeks ago, at the start of the cycle, 5x5 @ 190 was SO HARD AND HEAVY. And on this day, it was merely the squat set I was doing to end the cycle. Moved easily and quickly and felt really good.
Note from first set of 5x5 @ 190: wow this felt so hard and bad after the race yesterday. talked myself into every rep. (to be fair, I had just run a trail half the day before, but still)
Note from second set of 5x5 @ 190: warm ups felt heavy, first 2 sets felt heavy, and then suddenly the last three sets were fine.
Note from last set of 5x5 @ 190: Fast strong even moved my stance narrower to feel the quads a bit more

4 Likes
60

4/30/23

Was raining all weekend, so opted for some indoor kettlebell

Went by feel so went with

15 min EMOM x 1 40lb bell
Rounds 1-6: 10 one arm cleans / 3 front squats
Rounds 7-10: 10 ab wheel rollouts
Round 11: 25 KB swing
Round 12-13: 15 Skier swings
Round 14-15: 15 rows

2 Likes
61

5/1/2023

Second round of 1000% Awesome, because I can’t deny that it worked well. Some tweaks, biggest one being 3/5/1 this time.

1000% Awesome
Cycle 2, Week 1, Day 1

Squat

  • 5 x 165/190/210

Dips (sets to failure, ss with pull up sets below)

  • 24 / 13 /12

Pull Ups (sets to failure until 25 reps)

  • 11 / 8 / 6

Bench Press (from dead stop on safeties)

  • 135 lbs x 4 / 5 / 3
    unsuccessful 5 x 5 after dips to failure, but when the gym is packed, that’s what you gotta do

Worked out with GF, she did Day 1 with her weights. Super fun. My arms have like tripled in size since Jan. Dope.

3 Likes