My Current Workout Program

There's a lot that I want to do in life. There's a lot that I want to do over the next few months. As of right now, between now and November I'd like to participate in 3 more Goruck Challenges, a Tough Mudder and an Oyster Adventure Race, all of this of course, while being in the necessary shape for firefighting, rugby, and whatever else comes my way. I need a workout program that can keep up with me and all of this.

To go about accomplishing this I've decided to throw a bunch of my previously learned fitness knowledge into a blender, tweak it, customize it, and optimize it for me.

Last time I had 5 weeks to prepare. This time I have four. The difference this time is I am in much better shape after having done Geoff Newports' "Kettlebell Muscle" for the past month, adding about 8 lbs of muscle while keeping my body fat relatively unchanged. While this is a great program, I needed more of a cardio component for my upcoming challenges. Last time training for the Goruck, I used the "5k to 50k in 12 weeks" program covered in Tim Ferriss' "The 4 Hour Body"



While this is a great program, there are a few other components that I need to include and focus on. During the Down and Dirty 1/2 Dozen I felt great for the first 15 miles, completing them in 4 1/2 hours. Nick and I took a 1/2 hour break while we waited for his niece's 5k to begin, then we completed the last lap around the course with them. During this lap I realized my weak link for endurance events is my feet. Even though I spend a good deal of time in my Vibram Five Fingers and other flexible soled shoes, my feet still cramped up during the last lap, due to a stuck talus on one side and a bunyon on the other side.

Remembering back to CK-FMS, Gray Cook recommended that this be one case where insoles and arch support could be beneficial. The next two steps to mitigate this problem are rolled into the training program. They are the combined Super Joints/Z-Health/CK-FMS warm-up and the Convict Conditioning Jackknife Squats. Thirdly, since I do have a lower limb imbalance, I'm taking another cue from CK-FMS and substituting the running portion of the workout with jump rope and bike riding.

So, in a nutshell my basic workout program looks like this

M-F
5k to 50k program with subs

1st shift
Convict Conditioning Grease the Groove (CC GTG) pushups and abs

2nd shift
CC GTG pull ups and squats

3rd shift
CC GTG presses and back

GTG means that I do half my max of these exercises roughly every hour from the start of the shift 'til dinner time.

Additionally I do a set of two hand KB swings after every call.


They great thing about this program is it sounds like a lot, but feels like I'm barely spending any time in the gym.