January 21, 2026 – Week 21, Day 2

Dynamic Warm Up

Suited Long Bar Deadlifts (straps)
No Suit
143x5
233x3
Added Suit (single-ply)
323x2
413x1
483x1
553x3
558x3
563x3

Paused Seated Safety Squat Bar Goodmornings (21” box, 1 second)
95x12
95x12
95x12

Supported Single Leg Dumbbell Romanian Deadlifts/Chest Supported Dumbbell Rows
70x7/7 – 56’sx7
100x7/7 – 86’sx7
140x7/7 -- 116’sx7
140x7/7 -- 116’sx7
140x7/7 -- 116’sx7

Zercher Jefferson Curls (45 seconds rest)
105x8
105x8
105x8

Stretching

Comments:  Considering the training workload from Saturday, I was quite surprised how well I was moving and feeling on Monday. Then I had to work the next day and I think that just let me know that work is taking a lot out of me as I felt like I had been after that haha. Probably didn’t help that it got into single digits in the morning as far as temps Tuesday and Wednesday. But I guess it will warm up slightly and then might get hit by a once in a decade snow at the end of the week. Again, I don’t know why I try and do competitions during the winter and summer. But it be like that sometimes here. I was a little slow going after work today so didn’t quite get ready to training until about 30 minutes later. Been a bit since I’ve just had one of those disassociation for a little bit (as a treat) before getting myself to do what I want and need. Soft tissue work to start things. This was a little odd. The things that needed it a lot were my left calf and my right quad. Hardly anything for the opposing sides there. Hamstrings needed a little and upper back felt like it needed some. Neck rehab was fine. Keeping an eye on things here. No issues with the stretching for hips, knees and ankles. Dead hang followed after that. That felt good. It was pretty darn frigid at this point in the session in the garage. I knew that with suit work I’d be warm enough by the working sets but getting to that point I needed to keep warm. So wore my warm ups initially. I did the tib into calf raise exercise for two sets to start things off. These felt fine. On to the heavy thing for the evening. Another session of getting into the suit and pulling weights. There hasn’t really been a light and heavy session when it comes to the suited pulls here. It has been more of heavy low volume and heavy medium volume. So this was going to be sets and reps vs working up to a top set like last week. Plan here being 3x3 with 550-560lbs. I made some more alterations to the legs of my suit and I do believe I’ve finally got them how I want as far as tightness and function. I was going to do some sowing here anyways to reinforce what I did last time but I figured I needed to bring in more as I shouldn’t need to be wearing 4 pairs of spandex if I get it right. Starting out I wore my warm ups until I got to weight to wear my suit. I was definitely a little out of it as I didn’t grab my straps to start off here.  Working up with the new adjustments to the legs of the suit had them not bunching up on me but also had them tighter to the crouch. So I even though straps might be tight before, they were loose now. I did the same warming up pulls to the top weight like I did two weeks ago. I didn’t want to do a plate jump and then 50lbs jumps so it was 70lbs jumps. I kind of had the plan here to add 5lbs per set. That first set did not have my feeling confident with that plan. It didn’t feel solid but video says it looks about the same for the first rep. Despite it not feeling super easy (a guy can dream), I did add 5lbs to it for the next set with the aim to get the straps a little tighter. I made this one harder than it needed to be as I didn’t have the bar out to really roll in. Again, I think that as the weight increases here that it becomes more apparent with the sleeves not rotating with the extenders bolted on. That felt a little harder than what I had done. Not saying it all lower back like the multi-ply suit had felt but it was feeling a little like that. I also had nicked my left shin again on the first triple so I had blood again. I was also not seeming to have the bar in the right spot for when I lifted as far as my straps settling on the bar. I actually had to let go of the bar rather than have my thumb around it so that it had me in a better position. I don’t want that as it is risky with competition. I trust my straps but still. Adding another 5lbs. It felt like a coin toss that this weight would be good with how the previous two sets had felt. I got the suit a little tighter in the straps (I don’t think I can get them any tighter training solo) and things seemed to go how I had wanted them to go as the reps felt comfortable albeit heavy and slow to lockout. Maybe I had a better position and better initial brace. The subsequent reps felt easier. I was able to grip the bar normally this set as well and not be impeded. Just one more session with the suit before competing then. Still not tapping into the bloodlust rage/hype zone so I think that is a good thing. Suit was biting a little harder today so I was glad to get out of it and deal with the rest of the workout. The less stressful stuff. First up being seated ssb gms. Same as last time as far as form with same weight and sets but more reps. I could definitely notice the increased reps on the deadlifts coupled with the increased reps here. Tricky to get these to be both blood flow movement and getting brace through with the fatigue from the suited pulls. But these are fun/good to do. From there, it was the superset of supported single leg dumbbell rdls with chest supported dumbbell rows. The notes were for the rdls to try and have it more hamstring focus vs quad. I mean, I was definitely feeling these in the hamstrings and such after that fact but as Ms. Funk noted, I do have tight hamstrings. So I made an effort here to try and have my legs more rigid with less knee bend. May not be perfect but closer. Anyways, plan was same weights as last time but an additional rep to each set. I decided to add 5lbs to the rdls because those felt easier than the rows at this point with the balance point and I was already using all my small plates minus the pair of 2.5lbs. So I figured I’d invite them along. I did not notice the added weight here. The rows feel substantial and the jumps in weight feel a lot more than the rdls do. Adjusting the weight from the rdls to the rows in the superset is taking about a minute. I wouldn’t have thought to pair these together but they are really hitting hamstrings and upper back really hard. But could be they are fatigued from suit work as well. Like last week, the rows felt better each set. Before doing the last thing for the session, I started prepping my dinner so that it wasn’t so late to eat. I’d finish up with the last thing and putting stuff away while it cooled off. So that brings us to Jefferson curls. 45 seconds rests on these again. I was advised to slow the rep speed down here. I got too focused on the short time for rest and focused on the “speed”. Worry being that I was bypassing the bottom range of motion which is what we want to hit. More weight and less reps here and it felt pretty good. I think knowing that this position will not have me feeling nerve issues in the left arm has been helpful with progression. Finished up here and put stuff away before eating and stretching.