Burnside HQ

Had two days consecutive for recovery - time to get after it this Sunday and then prep for a BIG week. Lots happening at the HQ, but we know Spartan Race San Antonio is just around the corner (two weeks!) chassis integrity first today for warm up, then right to it on the run.

Anybody out there ever try to apply the basic linear progression from Starting Strength to other plans? I'm going to try and take my weights down to about 50% of my current 3x5 loads on the "Big 4" (Deadlift, Squat, Strict Press, Bench Press) and do a linear progression at higher volume - i.e. 2x15 working sets with 2 minutes rest between. My theory is that a progression like that, for 8 weeks, following the same Starting Strength 3/wk A/B cycle, should generate increases in muscular endurance and strength at the same time - while also recognizing that I'm probably going to hit failure points on those movements pretty early in the cycle and spend more time breaking out to the higher loads.

Everything I read says "don't mess with the Starting Strength programming" but I don't want to go any heavier than where I am at my 3x5's, I just want to increase my volume.

What's worked for you?

Finished my Spartan Super in 1hr 38 minutes - Facebook live, why’d you keep cutting out on me? Not cool.

Here’s some photo evidence - 12k on the rower, 25 exercises. Aroo! Aroo! Aroo!

Tonight’s HQ objective - ten thousand meters on the rower. 52:41, nice and steady the whole time, averaging 22 strokes per minute.

Saturday is 60 thousand meters - so we’re likely looking at 6 hours on the rower plus time for 60 exercises. Call it 7 hours, tops. Piece of cake, right?!

Not too late to join me...

All right y’all - on May 30 and 31, Spartan Race is doing a virtual race weekend in partnership with Rakutan.

So on May 30, I’ll be doing 60 kilometers on the rowing machine, and 60 different exercises to sub in for the normal “obstacles.” That’ll be the Ultra.

The next day, I’m following that up with 12km and 25 obstacles for a “Super”, and 6km and 20 obstacles for a “Sprint.”

And since I have to have proof to submit to them to get my medals and those sweet, sweet finisher t-shirts, I’ll be live streaming all three events right here on Facebook live, straight from The HQ. So stop by while I’m wrecking myself with 105 movements and 78km of rowing (that’s 48.5 miles if you’re having trouble with the math) - AROO! AROO! AROO!