Twenty by 40 by 2020 - Journey Back to Where I Was 20 Years Ago

Training Training Logs
581

10/9

  1. Move around warmup. Walk/jog/mobility
  2. Shot Put and Discus - getting marginally (1%) better every couple weeks and marginally more consistent. My average distance is probably up 10% over last few months - although my top throw probably only 3-4% improved.
  3. 7x200 - ran like shuttle runs to limit my speed - was going to do 14 but hamstring was getting tight.
582

Oh and read the article on ā€œhow to look awesomeā€ (an older one from 2011 on T-nation) - and assuming my lean waist is 33-34ā€ - I would have to be massive - 18-19ā€ arms, neck, calves, 27+ thighs, and 55ā€ around my upper body. At 6ā€™2ā€ 219, Iā€™m nowhere near that except maybe upper thigh and neck - figure Iā€™d have to be over 250 to get there. Interesting stuff. And Iā€™m a long way from looking awesome lol.

583

Those sound like anabolic standards. Iā€™m knocking on the door of 250 lbs at 6ā€™4" and I donā€™t think I could achieve those numbers and I donā€™t have a lot of room to add muscle without being a fat blob.

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584

Yeah. At mine or your height seem almost undoable without a lot of gear.

585

I think itā€™s a stretch at any height. 19" arms!?

But thanks to the author for setting realistic expectations.

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586

10/10

General strength - bodybuilding - body weight - core. Mostly high rep sets and incorporating mobility into some of the movements. About 40 minutes of circuits.

587

I do love the soreness I get the day out of a lighter weight, higher volume day. Actually makes me feel sharper the next day.

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588

10/11

Today was supposed to be a track day, but Iā€™m not feeling it, and streets/courts are too wet to play ball so Iā€™m going to skip it. Give my hamstring one more full rest day. Will do track tomorrow, and just be active over the weekend. Should be back to normal on Monday.

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589

10/12

  1. Acceleration - 10x27m. Took easy and just worked on mechanics. Probably 75% effort. Felt good.
  2. Shot Put - best itā€™s been this year. Standing throws to 38ā€™ and full throws out to 41ā€™. This is with 16#. Iā€™d encourage anyone to grab a 16# medball and see how far you can throw it.
  3. Discus - meh. Slipped and just wasnā€™t feeling it.
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590

I wish I had a place to throw a med ball. I can either throw it off a tilted trampoline (pass), the wall, or use a racquetball court and itā€™s loud as hell.

I used to train at the track and I had a nice hill where I could throw it backwards overhead and let it roll back. I miss those days, but the track doesnā€™t have a place to leave the kids (at least not two year olds).

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591

Yes - thatā€™s a challenge! At my kids ages (13, 11, 9) - they can be left pretty much to their own devices. I would do indoors on basketball court when people werenā€™t there and that works pretty well. When I was my most explosive, fastest, and strongest has generally been when my overhead back throw was at its best.

592

Beach day in FL

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593

10/14

Golf in FL w the kids. At Top Golf - a cool and fun concept that is great for the whole fam. Not cheap, but less expensive than 5 of us playing a round - and much quicker.

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595

10/16

After 10/15 off - had time crunch due to business opportunity meetings. A few things picking up.

Only had about 30 minutes so did warmup sets and then superset Of:

  1. Seated DB OH press - 4x13 at 35-40-45-50 with Lat Pull-Downs at 130-140-150-160
  2. OH squats with Snatch grip DLs - super light, just feeling out hamstring.

Hamstring felt good. Pull-Downs felt easy. Military Press the top set was tough - and had to stand up and do the last 2 reps standing.

Hamstring still a little off in the middle part of the muscle belly.

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596

10/17

Light stuff - general strength circuits - push-ups, curls, triceps, lunges, etc.

597

10/18

  1. Easy interval warmup 5x200
  2. Discus - has a breakthrough in technique (I think) - some standing throws out to 115+ and full throws out to 125+.
  3. Shot - standing throws out to 38-39. Full throws around same distance - so less of a breakthrough here.

Iā€™m a very academic athlete so like to understand why Iā€™m doing something a certain way. The tech breakthrough I had was around velocity of the shot and discus and how much time my feet spend on the ground.

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598

10/19

Golf - ugh. 99. Very few good holes.

599

10/20-21 - wife was in a wedding, so Friday night till probably 2 AM Sunday was just eating and drinking. Felt rough Sunday morning. All the guys basically watched football at a bar all day Saturday while the wives got ready. Shouldā€™ve gone to the gym instead.

600

10/22 - 3x3 day. Best session Iā€™ve had in the last 6 weeks since getting back to NYC. Probably a combo of last couple weeks being pretty low intensity and volume due to hamstring, and hamstring feeling pretty back to normal today - a little tight.

Also did a lot more warm-up movement and mobility, and probably 10-12 more light warm-up reps moving up to my working weight for the 3x3.

  1. Hang Snatch Warm-Ups to 125 for an easy double.
  2. Hang Power Clean - a couple warm-ups then 160 (3) 180 (3) 200 (10 in 40" - couldā€™ve done more, but grip was failing, and and form was starting to get a shade sloppy).
  3. Narrow grip Bench - warm-ups then 135 (3) 155 (3) 170 (8 in 40" - this was about as many as I could do no matter what).
  4. Squat - warm-ups then 225 (3) 260 (3) 290 (15 in 1ā€™ - tougher than my 3x5 where I did 275 for 15 - but still really solid - weight didnā€™t start really hurting till 10 reps or so).
  5. Pendlay Row - warm-ups then 135 (3) 155 (3) 170 (10 in 45" but this was rough, and my form was not great - not to mention could feel my hamstring very acutely).
  6. Plyos - Progressing these now. 14 reps gradually moving up to 9ā€™ or so. These could definitely be further if done in running shoes instead of weightlifting shoes and on a soft surface. Werenā€™t all out either.
  7. Finisher - 23 flights of stairs. Really like this addition to the workout for a little cardio, and some work on the quads.

Gonna keep moving through 5-3-1 (day 1), running/throwing (day 2), higher rep lifting (day 3), faster running plus plyos and throws (day 4), General Strength and pump work (day 5), and active movement - sport or lots of walking (day 6). When I donā€™t get through all in a week, will keep the same 6 day cycle - so it might take me an average of 9 days to get through all 6.

Reflection on this progression so far: Squats progressing most easily (may have underestimated my training max), cleans still have a long way to go to get back to where I was a year ago - probably a solid 20# off, bench and row are not good (largely due to almost no work on them because of shoulder injury from seizure last year) - but improving steadily, and shoulder pain is diminishing, speed and throwing progressing very gradually.

Will probably continue this progression at least through end of the year and then likely do an 8 week block of lower rep sets with more weight.

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601

10/23 - intervals at track day.

  1. Walk/jog warmup
  2. 7x200 at relaxed pace (40-42ā€) with 1ā€™ walk between.
  3. 8x200m at faster pace (36-39ā€) with 2ā€™ walk back in between.
  4. 2 mile walk back home.

Hamstring felt good although a little fatigued toward the end. Stride and wind and lactic acid build up all felt solid. All in all pleased with the work done today. A total of 2 miles at a good clip and another 4 miles walking. I love how quickly my body responds to running.

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