Apr 17 (edited) • General discussion
My Workout + Bio Backstory
Whatup Buttercups; figured this might be useful to share for others as possible inspiration (not intended to be a pat me on the back story).
Background Babble
Turning 40 this year; although people frequently think I'm late 20s (got to be doing something right, right?)
For most of my life:
- sat around 130–145 lbs weight range
- strong nutrition discipline (20+ years)
- no real structured strength training
- work very hard-play hard mentality
Complications early in life:
- hood background so wasn’t exposed to people who ate well/worked out/lived normal lifes
- metal plate in leg (15) from skateboarding
- experimental spine surgery (17) w/ full spinal cage top to bottom; still in place
So for years, lifting wasn’t just ignored it was intentionally avoided due to risk, low knowledge and poor guidance.
Years of chronic pain. One thing became obvious early:
eat poorly = inflammation and increased chronic back pain
eat clean = you can function
That shaped everything around longevity.
Training-wise, I always assumed lifting was off the table due to back pain and the fear mongering the doctors told me at the time (pretty much never do anything physical). Every time I tried, it either felt off or the few people I hired didn’t understand the hardware in me and would recommend high probability of getting hurt exercises.
So I stuck to:
- walking + biking
- yoga (helped mitigate pain)
- what I’d call “farm strength” through my career (mini-deadlifting objects all day 50lbs-400lbs)
Enough to function, maybe arguably keep me in good health but nothing over the top.
The Mindset Shift
Around July 2025 (~135 lbs), made a call:
goal = not ending up physically fragile later in life as a 60-year old man already at a defecit with all the metal implants.
I needed real strength, not just “movement”.
Started with kettlebells because it felt “safe enough” to test.
KB Attempts:
- basic KB work
- Dan John’s ABC + other programs (squats/presses/curls)
- Pavel Tsatsouline’s Right of Passage progression (presses/pull-ups/squats)
Looking back, this phase was brutal; not because of the weight, but because my body was essentially unfreezing after years of not being loaded properly.
I learned this concept from an interesting research paper about “unthawing” your body when it and the muscles are “frozen” from years of neglect/body trauma/surgeries.
Issues that surfaced:
- spine was completely locked up in and around the metal with the fascial restriction
- tons of tissue work needed; months and months of deep tissue massages weekly and guasha to undo all the buildup and poor blood circulation/routes
- poor sleep at times from the pain, not only was it the regular pain + new ones everyday
- needed to re-link neuromuscular reactivation for all body parts
Early phase was less “training” and more:
- restoring movement
- rebuilding tolerance
- undoing years of stiffness/inactivity
Prior to reading that “frozen” article, I had my assumptions that it was simply an adaptation phase and pushed through. Sometimes you got to just push through things to see the end.
Current Phase: Building My System
Around Feb 1, I rebuilt everything more intentionally. Now almost 3x months into this phase.
After a handful of gym tests prior and wanting to move past KB’s and a ton of research/reading on trying to understand things I hodge podged my current structured program using these mindsets:
- Mike’s philosophies and principles (circuit style + changing things out + have fun + chain exercises together + experimentation)
- Jeff Nippard’s framework (one of his programs caught my eye due to structuring and ability to apply it to my equipment)
- Dan John’s guiding principles (movement patterns: Push, Pull, Hinge, Squat, Loaded Carry, Rotation, Counter-Rotation + “Good Enough”)
Main goals for new system:
- adapted fully to a home setup (no machine gym dependency)
- somewhat small profile in sizing for mobility
- agnostic to any one tool, understand enough equipment to be malleable + adaptable no matter where you are in the world
- repeatability (no random workouts)
- progressive overload capability + tracking
- emphasis on movement quality + understanding of exercises for long term
Where I Started vs Now
Started:
- 0 pull-ups
- 0 push-ups
- 10–12kg KB struggling
- 15lb DBs
- couldn’t lift an unloaded hex-bar
- Bodyweight was around 135lbs
Now:
- 140lb deadlift
- 35lb DB bench (flat + incline)
- 18kg KB (overhead presses + squat)
- 32kg carries
- 30–40lb rucking
- 20–25 pull-ups
- 18 push-ups
- Weight-loaded + banded Total Gym
- Bodyweight now 180lbs (with new bulking diet which can be tricky sidenote when you're into eating healthy)
Why I’m Posting
Not a transformation post or me-me-me post as I call them.
One part to give hope for others, one part I'm flying by the seat of my pants hold on to your oh-shit-handle boys.
More interested in:
- where this system breaks at higher levels
- where KB/DB constraints will bottleneck progression
- whether volume/intensity balance is off
- anything I’m not seeing due to being self-taught in this domain/blind spots
Non-negotiables/Constraints:
- no reliance on commercial gyms
- moving every 2 years or less
- longevity bias over ego lifting
- spinal hardware + leg implants limitations occasionally
- program needs to be sustainable, not “heroic”
The Workout Routine
The Split: Upper body / Lower body split w/ Arms Day (having done full-body KB, I think I prefer this, seems to give my back time to rest vs whole body routines)
- Monday: Upper Body 1A (Chest Bias)
- Tuesday: Lower Body 1A (Squat Bias)
- Wednesday: Active Rest
- Thursday: Upper Body 2B (Pull Bias)
- Friday: Lower Body 2B (Hinge / Posterior Bias)
- Saturday: Arms + Delts (Shoulder / Arm Bias)
- Sunday: Active Rest
Average Runtime: 1hr20-45min (including 15 min mobility warmup, 15min bs setup changing handles/changing ironmaster dumbbell weights etc)
Breakdown of Routine
[Monday] Upper Body 1A (Chest Bias)
Warmup Routine
→ Foam roll back
→ Deadhang 2–3x30 sec
→ Goblet squat hold 1–2min
→ Stick stretching 2–5min
→ TRX IYT 2–3x10
→ Mace 360s 5min
Dumbbell Flat Bench Press
→ 2x8–12 +35lbs
Dumbbell Bench Fly
→ 2x10–12 +10lbs
Total Gym Incline Y-Raise w/ BOS D-handles
→ 2x10–12 +55lbs
Dumbbell Incline Bench Press
→ 3x8 +35lbs
Dumbbell 1-Arm Lean-In Lateral Raise
→ 2x10 +10lbs
Seal Pad Incline Kelso Shrug w/ Dumbbells
→ 2x10–12
Cable Machine Lat Pulldown + Total Gym Wide Grip Pullups w/ 90s Handle
→ Cable lat pulldown: 3x10 +70lbs
→ TG pullup add-on: 1x8–10 +20lbs
Total Gym + EZ-Bar Preacher Curl
→ 3x8–10 outer grip + 3x6–8 inner grip superset +20lbs
Total Gym Triceps Prone Pressdown
→ 3x20 +25lbs
Ab Variation (Total Gym Crunches or Cable Crunches or Hanging Leg Raises)
→ 2x8
Carry Variation (Kettlebells, Sandbags)
→ optional finisher
[Tuesday] Lower Body 1A (Squat Bias)
Warmup Routine
→ Foam roll back
→ Deadhang 2–3x30 sec
→ Goblet squat hold 1–2min
→ Stick stretching 2–5min
Sissy Squat + Cossack Squat
→ 2x10–12 each +bodyweight (sometimes with TRX for extra stretch)
Double Front-Loaded KB Squat
→ 4x8 +16kg
Standing Calf Raise + The Bob Raises + Foot Stretch Work
→ 2x20 +30lbs
Lunge
→ 2x9 +30lbs
Total Gym Lying Leg Curl Prone + Rear Facing + Laying
→ 1x20 +25lbs
Hex/Trap-Bar Deadlift
→ 3x5 +140lbs
Cable Hip Abduction Pull-Through
→ 2x8–10 +60lbs
Sled Pulls/Pushes (TibBarGuy's Indoor SledTred) Forwards + Backwards + Sideways
→ 8-10min
Carry Variation (Kettlebells, Sandbags)
→ optional
[Wednesday] Active Rest
Ruck-Walk or Hike
→ 1.5-2hr (30-40lb)
Mobility: Yin Yoga or Original Strength or Animal Flow
→ 45min
[Thursday] Upper Body 2B (Pull Bias)
Warmup Routine
→ Foam roll back
→ Deadhang 2–3x30 sec
→ Stick stretching 2–5min
→ TRX IYT 2–3x10
→ Mace 360s 5min
Close-Grip Pullups + Total Gym Inner Grip Pullups w/ Isogrip Handles
→ Pullup bar: x20 +bodyweight
→ TG pullups w/ handles: 3x8 +20lbs
Seal Pad + Dumbbell Chest-Supported T-Rows
→ 2x10–12 +30lbs
Total Gym Cross-over Grip Rows
→ 3x15–20 +10lbs +blue band
Flat Dumbbell Bench Press
→ 3x11 +35lbs
Lying Reverse Fly
→ 2x8 +15lbs
Hex-Bar Shrugs
→ 2x15 +40lbs
Iron Chest Master Pushups
→ 3x4 +bodyweight
Total Gym One-Arm Standing High Cable Lateral Raise
→ 2x8–12 each side +55lbs
Ab Work (Cable Crunch or Total Gym Ab Crunches or Hanging Leg Raises)
→ 2x8
Carry Variation (Kettlebells, Sandbags)
→ optional finisher
[Friday] Lower Body 2B (Hinge/Posterior Bias)
Warmup Routine
→ Foam roll back
→ Deadhang 2–3x30 sec
→ Goblet squat hold 1–2min
→ Stick stretching 2–5min
Sissy Squat + Primal Knee Bends
→ 3x8–10 +bodyweight
Romanian Deadlift
→ 2x10–12 +35lb dumbbells
Standing Calf Raise
→ 2x20 +35lb dumbbells
Single KB Squat Variation
→ 4x10 +16kg
Total Gym Lying Leg Curls Front Facing + Prone Reverse + Rear Seated
→ 1x20–25 +25lbs
Hex/Trap-Bar Deadlift
→ 3x5 +140lbs
Cable Pull-Through
→ 2x8–10 +90lbs
Sled Pulls/Pushes (TibBarGuy's Indoor SledTred) Forwards + Backwards + Sideways
→ 8-10min
Ab Work (Cable Crunch or Total Gym Ab Crunches or Hanging Leg Raises)
→ 2x8 optional day
Carry Variation (Kettlebells, Sandbags)
→ optional
[Saturday] Arms + Delts (Shoulder/Arm Bias)
Warmup Routine
→ Foam roll back
→ Deadhang 1x30 sec
→ Goblet squat hold 1–2min
→ Stick stretching 2–5min
→ KB Halos 5 mins +16kg
Single Arm Kneeling KB Press
→ 2x8-10 +16kg
Cable Curl (Bayesian-style substitute)
→ 3x8–10 +blue bands
EZ-Bar Overhead Cable Triceps Extension
→ 3x8–10 +blue bands
Modified Zottman Curl
→ 1x8–10 +35lbs
Dumbbell Lateral Raise
→ 2x8–10 +15lbs
Wrist Curl + Wrist Extension + Wrist Side Work
→ 2x10+ each
Total Gym Dip Prone + Back
→ 2–3x20 / 2-3x20 +20lbs
Total Gym + EZ-Bar Curl (Outer + Inner Grip Alternating)
→ 3x8-10 / 3x6-8 +25-30lbs
Extended Dead Hang
→ 2x1-2min
Carry Variation (Kettlebells, Sandbags)
→ optional finisher
[Sunday] Active Rest
Ruck-Walk or Hike
→ 1.5-2hr +30-40lbs
Mobility: Yin Yoga or Animal Flow or Original Strength
→ 45min
Just remember: most of what’s in your way is usually yourself.
Your beliefs. Your biases. Your mindset (especially if it's negative). Your current knowledge gaps.
So if you're stuck, the real question becomes:
→ what are you actively doing to change that?
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My Workout + Bio Backstory
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