Noah Marek's Training log

[NoahMarek]

12-14-17
SQUAT DAY! My "freestyle" program follows 3 days: squat day, press day, and pull day.

Today's work:
warmup ( I don't post what I do for warm ups but I always do them and usually take advantage of the time to explore other movements and work on active mobility)
Pistol squat bw x3, 16kg x3,3,3
Goblet Squat 48kg 10x5reps
Reverse lunge 24kg x10 reps per leg

Instagram post by Noah Marek (training account) • Dec 14, 2017 at 10:58pm UTC

Fun day! And looking forward to get ups, and various presses tomorrow!

 

[NoahMarek]

I've decided to take a break from the forum as a way of decreasing internet time and taking some space. Stay strong and enjoy the holidays!

 

[NoahMarek]

Update time: Had a great Christmas with family and friends and also got a new 36kg Kettlebell and Polar H10 HR monitor (and Rogue ranger panties)!

I finished the StrongEndurance Plan 524A with 28kg for snatches and 32kg for swings and just restarted it today after over a week of freestyling my training. Now, I am using 32kg for snatches and 36kg for swings. I really enjoy this type of programming. Fairly low time investment (for this program at least), and I feel great doing it! I’m excited to really begin working consistently with 32kg for snatches!

 

[NoahMarek]

12-27-17
StrongEndurance Plan 524A
-snatches with 32kg
-60 reps total in 12 minutes and felt great! 32kg snatches are definitely tough, but they are solid!
Soja and Tuba press day 15
32kg 4x3 -triples with 32kg are feeling strong!
Pistol bw x5
Pull up bw x7
Push up bwx10
-all done very slow and strictly
-sometimes I like to add just one set of a couple exercises in as accessory/maintenance work at the end of my routine.

 

[NoahMarek]

12-28-17
My friend wanted to lift some kettlebells with me when he came over and so I decided to just play around and have fun. I have never snatched heavier than 32kg before and decided to try heavier weights. First 36kg went up and then 40kg went up! Very happy with this. I didn’t think I would be able to snatch 40kg yet!

Instagram post by Noah Marek (training account) • Dec 29, 2017 at 6:07am UTC

 

[NoahMarek]

12-29-17
Soja and Tuba
32kg press 5x3, these were extra tough after doing 4 hours of manual labor earlier but still got it done
Push ups, StrongEndurance style
-80 total
-These felt great, and I really enjoyed them! StrongEndurance style training rocks!

 

[NoahMarek]

12-30-27
SE plan 524A week 1 day 3
-high volume day for swings and I ended up getting a blister on my left hand on one of the last sets... blisters and torn calluses are one of my least favorite things. I am supposed to be snatching for a decent volume Monday so we will see how that goes.
-I did learn one thing from this. I really need to start shaving my calluses lower. This one really was my fault because the blister that formed was over my most prominent callus. Starting now, I am going to keep my calluses much flatter and not just smooth.
Followed by pistol squats
Bw x5, 16kg x3, 24kg x2, bw x5

 

[NoahMarek]

Going to take another week or two off form here and social media to start the new year. I have started meditating again, and I am focusing on being more present and mindful. Hope everyone has a great new year's eve!

 

[NoahMarek]

1-4-17 Back here a little earlier than I planned because, well, I missed it.

So, good news and bad news from today’s training. The bad news is that 32kg snatches are just too heavy, and I am dropping the Strong Endurance protocol with them (too hard on the hands and grip is not at that level). Instead, I will switch between snatching 24kg and 32kg and build up simple and sinister style.

The good news is that on my test day of Soja and Tuba I pressed 40kg (half body weight) pretty strictly! Still has room for improvement but I am happy with it!
Instagram post by Noah Marek (training account) • Jan 4, 2018 at 6:51pm UTC

 

[dcc449]

1-4-17 Back here a little earlier than I planned because, well, I missed it.

So, good news and bad news from today’s training. The bad news is that 32kg snatches are just too heavy, and I am dropping the Strong Endurance protocol with them (too hard on the hands and grip is not at that level). Instead, I will switch between snatching 24kg and 32kg and build up simple and sinister style.

The good news is that on my test day of Soja and Tuba I pressed 40kg (half body weight) pretty strictly! Still has room for improvement but I am happy with it!
Instagram post by Noah Marek (training account) • Jan 4, 2018 at 6:51pm UTC

Congrats, thats a great lift! 32->40 is awesome progress, curious what your max was before you started this cycle. Had you pressed a 36?

 

[NoahMarek]

@dcc449 Thank you! I hadn’t pressed 36kg before since I didn’t have access to a 36kg bell at the time, but i’m sure I could have. I had pressed 40kg a couple months ago but it was ugly and very strict. After 6 weeks of pressing on this program, it become much cleaner.

 

[Sean M]

@dcc449 Thank you! I hadn’t pressed 36kg before since I didn’t have access to a 36kg bell at the time, but i’m sure I could have. I had pressed 40kg a couple months ago but it was ugly and very strict. After 6 weeks of pressing on this program, it become much cleaner.

What are your thoughts on “double-grip” (two bells in one hand) pressing for test days? When 32kg is my “working weight” for ladders, I don’t really anticipate buying heavier bells just for occasional tests. But I could do, say, 24+20 for my 1/2 bodyweight test. Wonder how different two bells in one hand are than one?

 

[dcc449]

What are your thoughts on “double-grip” (two bells in one hand) pressing for test days? When 32kg is my “working weight” for ladders, I don’t really anticipate buying heavier bells just for occasional tests. But I could do, say, 24+20 for my 1/2 bodyweight test. Wonder how different two bells in one hand are than one?

Personally I've found that it is a fair bit harder than the equivalently sized single bell, though I only tried it a few times. If you have some weight plates, I think you might be better off with the duct tape solution. But, if your hands are big enough and you practice it so you are comfortable with the different positioning of the weight, it may not be as big of a deal.

 

[NoahMarek]

@Sean M It’s definitely doable. Back before sizes above 32kg were as common as they are now, stacked presses were done all the time in the RKC. The key is to spend time with lighter weights in the stacked position because it has a much different feel. It shouldn’t be a whole lot harder once you get a good feel for it.

 

[NoahMarek]

1-4-17 PM
55 minute ruck with 20-25 lbs

1-5-17
20 minute “strength aerobics” variant
-10 push ups
-7 Pull ups
7 Cossack squats

2 hours of full court basketball. Going to be very sore tomorrow...

 

[NoahMarek]

1-6-17
Back on Simple and Sinister. Very beat up from yesterday so started with a light day rather than a day off.

2H shadow swings 24kg
10x10
Paused get ups 24kg
5x1/1

Great recharge! Felt better after completing than I did before starting! Really excited to be back on this program. How long will I stay on it? Not sure. Indefinitely for now.

 

[NoahMarek]

1-8-17
Short on time today but still made it work.
2H swings 48kg
6x10
Get ups 32kg
5x1/1
I absolutely love the feeling of 2H heavy swings. Strength, power and endurance all in one. I need to rotate these in more often.

 

[NoahMarek]

From yesterday evening
1-10-17
1H swings 32kg 10x10
Get ups 32kg 4x1/1, 36kg x1/1
Suitcase holds 48kg 30s/30s x3

One of my next goals is to snatch 48kg. A lot of my training will be focusing on swings, snatches, and other grip work! I think it will happen within a few months.

 

[NoahMarek]

1-12-17
Fantastic training session today. Everything felt great, and I finished feeling strong and fresh!

1 arm swings 32kg 8x10, 36kg 2x10
Get ups 32kg 3x1/1, 36kg 2x1/1
Push ups 3x15

 

[NoahMarek]

1-13-17
High volume day
2H swings 48kg 15x10
Get ups 32kg 3x1/1
36kg 3x1/1
Chin ups 3x7

High volume today felt good. Tomorrow is a planned day off to recover from today’s work. I like the idea of having a high volume day Saturday and then taking Sunday off.