Pull ups

[SouthNarc]

Agreed.

Long distance 6-10 mile runs in armor pushing a stroller on trails is just as important to me as deadlifting 6 plates

I’ve gotten into modern “rucking”.

I have to say that a Goruck Rucker 4.0 with the dedicated plate pockets and sized plates along with a pair of Hoka Kaha 2 GTX boots are light years ahead of the ALICE Large with the invariably bent frame and jungle boots I remember from 38 years ago.

It’s ACTUALLY enjoyable.

[revchuck38]

Agreed.

Long distance 6-10 mile runs in armor pushing a stroller on trails is just as important to me as deadlifting 6 plates

What, you've got an all-terrain stroller?

[03RN]

I’ve gotten into modern “rucking”.

I have to say that a Goruck Rucker 4.0 with the dedicated plate pockets and sized plates along with a pair of Hoka Kaha 2 GTX boots are light years ahead of the ALICE Large with the invariably bent frame and jungle boots I remember from 38 years ago.

It’s ACTUALLY enjoyable.

Sure is.

I've got a picture of me like 20 years ago running a 10 mile road race with desert Altimas and a 30lbs Alice pack. Those were pretty grueling.

[03RN]

What, you've got an all-terrain stroller?

2 of them

[Doc_Glock]

Just like being wired to shoot fast or accurately, I think we are wired to either like cardio or like weights. I know I sure prefer cardio.

Truth. I always did cardio. But I have always liked weights or explosive efforts better. At least since my 40s. In my 20s I didn’t care for weights but no one ever taught me to squat and deadlift and what progressive overload was. Man I wish I had started lifting heavy back then.

[GJM]

I’ve gotten into modern “rucking”.

I have to say that a Goruck Rucker 4.0 with the dedicated plate pockets and sized plates along with a pair of Hoka Kaha 2 GTX boots are light years ahead of the ALICE Large with the invariably bent frame and jungle boots I remember from 38 years ago.

It’s ACTUALLY enjoyable.

I have a Go Ruck pack with 20 pounds of sand that I regularly hike with. When I hike without it, it feels like cheating.

[Doc_Glock]

Two responses:
1. @GJM great thread. I have always sort of found pull ups easy probably because I was always skinny. I could always bang out at least ten dead hang pull ups on demand til my 40s without training.

Mid forties I started lifting seriously and adding pull ups to the regimen. Usually good for 8-10. I keep my grip pretty narrow due to wide grip hurting shoulders. Strangely I tried one of the 20 pull up programs and found myself totally stalled around 15 which is about what I could do in fifth grade. I have never done 20 pull ups which would be a fun accomplishment.

Mid 50s, I lift 2-3 days a week and pull ups are a required lift for me. 4 sets 5-7 usual reps depending on the day at a porky for me 185lbs. Somehow this week I pulled one 11 rep set out of the hat but I done that in years. Wish I knew the secret.

2. @SouthNarc I spent age 44-50 trying to get as strong as possible on the big lifts but cardio absolutely suffered. Now mid 50s, I really feel it is a mistake to neglect long cardio in favor of lifts and HIIT. Despite what Rip says, you have to do it all. For sure big strength will suffer with long cardio. But I personally am looking for balance. I’m bigger and slower than when I was primarily a cardio athlete, but I am also a lot more stronger and durable. But a lot less strong than when I was just lifting. I don’t know it’s a balance.

For me now, it’s long hikes occasionally, steep hikes about once a week, biking 2-4 hours a week in various zones but primarily easy with some hard efforts thrown in based on terrain. Lift at least twice a week. Occasional hill sprints. I think my long running days are over as I always get injured.

For lifts, I don’t mind boring and I realized I wanted full body work outs rather than a split because I don’t lift that frequently. I also realize I just really like the barbell for some reason. And I don’t want to spend all day in the gym.

For the last year it has been: Deadlift, OHP, Squat, Pull-ups in that order. Usually each super setted with a less loaded exercise like this:
deadlift/back extensions, OHP/push ups, Squats/bodyweight jump squats, Pull ups/angled ring rows.

I do four sets of the above total, starting with just the bar and increasing to “work weight” (3-8 rep range) by the third or even last set.

I can get that all done in 20-30 min due to multiple barbells set up for DL, OHP, Squat.

I’m not saying this is a great program to progress anywhere strength wise, but it has been a very good maintenance of strength protocol which is all I am interested in right now.

[JHC]

It's a bit off topic but my big discovery last year was the impact of weighted carries added to my routine. I'd done farmer carries some for years but inspired by Dan John vids I really added a greater variety.

IMO it's really paid off. My mainstay is shoulder carrying a 50 lb GoRuck sandbag alternating shoulders. I'm at 15 minutes one, then 15 minutes the other while walking and the 10-15 minute stretch is kind of gruesome feeling and I love it.

Waiters carry, hugging something heavy carry, a lot of suitcase carries.

What struck me was that for a couple of years in these mid-sixties, although always training but with more "conventional" exercises, I was finding myself cussing myself over the perceived effort to carry awkward and moderately heavy stuff from storage to upstairs where the wife wanted it. Then "fuck my life" moving it back to the basement storage. I was saying "Self, this is not that heavy, it should not feel this hard."

I noticed a big change after say 6 months of working carries into most workouts a week. Even on cardio workouts, a spell of it is hoofing along with a sandbag. Big difference in perceived effort doing "work" like that.

I'm really hooked on weighted carries.

[03RN]

It's a bit off topic but my big discovery last year was the impact of weighted carries added to me routine. I'd done farmer carries some for years but inspired by Dan John vids and really added a greater variety.

IMO it's really paid off. My mainstay is shoulder carrying a 50 lb GoRuck sandbag alternating shoulders. I'm at 15 minutes one, then 15 minutes the other while walking and the 10-15 minute stretch is kind of gruesome feeling and I love it.

Waiters carry, hugging something heavy carry, a lot of suitcase carries.

What struck me was that for a couple of years in these mid-sixties, although always training but with more "conventional" exercises, I was finding myself cussing myself over the perceived effort to carry awkward and moderately heavy stuff from storage to upstairs where the wife wanted it. Then "fuck my life" moving it back to the basement storage. I was saying "Self, this is not that heavy, it should not feel this hard."

I noticed a big change after say 6 months of working carries into most workouts a week. Even on cardio workouts, a spell of it is hoofing along with a sandbag.

I'm really hooked on weighted carries.

I was really sore for a few days on a run last year after I picked up a log to run with. It wasn't bad moving but wow I hadn't been that sore in those muscles for a long time.

I hid the log at the trailhead so I can do it next time

[Duces Tecum]

If I wasn't lifting I'd do pullups, chin ups, pushups, dips and call it good

This.
I'd add one of @JHC's weighted carries, and that would be it.


Duces