Grouchy Training

[GrouchyUSMC]

Monday - Circuit training. Total work - 50 jumping jacks, 80 push ups (30 wearing rucksack), plank pose 1:35, 13 pull ups, 30 reps of curl/press/extend with rucksack, and 165 reps of abs. Finished with a 2 mile run in 19:32.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Tuesday - Off day. Was supposed to be a range day but it was closed for maintenance so nothing today.

Wednesday - 2 mile run but every 5 minutes stop and do either 20 air squats or 10 lunges per leg. Time keeps going until the 2 miles are done. Total time just under 22 minutes. I then rucked a hilly mile with 50#.

Thursday - Mobility day. 3 sets of 5 min of fast walking alternated with 5 min of foam rolling and stretching.

Friday - Off.

Saturday - GORUCK Desert Storm Light complete. Some good PT in the beginning (alternated 100m sprints with different exercises - no sweat) then about 9 miles of carrying different sandbags. I carried a 40# in addition to my ~27# ruck for most of it, managed to grab the 60# sandbag for the final two miles back. Fun day, no problems whatsoever.

Sunday - GORUCK Star Course 5K with the family. Basically a scavenger hunt where you have to take pictures at certain points to show you hit them as you tuck around the area. They give you the points, the navigation is up to you. 3.3 very hilly miles - the boys were hurting a bit but they were troopers. We finished in well under two hours.

[Payton1221]

Do you have an opinion on frequency of longer distance walks/rucks for someone just wanting an occasional challenge? On a whim, I walked my 11 mile loop that I ride several times per week. I thought that I'd set a goal to walk it once per week, and by the end of the walk, I was thinking "okay, maybe just once a month."

How often do you really push it with a 2-3 hour activity?

[GrouchyUSMC]

Do you have an opinion on frequency of longer distance walks/rucks for someone just wanting an occasional challenge? On a whim, I walked my 11 mile loop that I ride several times per week. I thought that I'd set a goal to walk it once per week, and by the end of the walk, I was thinking "okay, maybe just once a month."

How often do you really push it with a 2-3 hour activity?

Once a week is plenty. If I do two or more rucks a week, the others tends to be short. I only recommend 2+ rucks a week if someone is specifically training for something that includes a lot of backpacking.

Every other week lets you still improve but not beat yourself down as much.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Tuesday - Had some time to burn in the morning so met up with two friends and we knocked out 8 miles in about 2 hours and 17 minutes on a new trail with some good elevation. Ruck was ~60#.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Wednesday - Stretching only. Changed footwear so had some blisters from the 8 miles, nothing major but they just needed a day off.

Thursday - Circuit training. Total work - 50 jumping jacks, 105 push ups, 50 reverse push ups, 16 pull ups, 30 one arm rows per arm, 30 TRX chest presses, planks for 3 minutes total, 30 TRX inverted rows, 60 crunches, 30 reps of curl/press/extend with 40# rucksack. I then ran 2 miles in 20:30.

[TM79]

I really appreciate what you do even more now that I've been hiking so much. You are getting a pace similar to mine and wearing 50 lb rucks. LOL. Great work! Interesting feedback that you gave to Payton as well. I might try to do a ruck here and there if I can get my feet feeling better. It ain't gonna be 60 lb though.

[GrouchyUSMC]

I really appreciate what you do even more now that I've been hiking so much. You are getting a pace similar to mine and wearing 50 lb rucks. LOL. Great work! Interesting feedback that you gave to Payton as well. I might try to do a ruck here and there if I can get my feet feeling better. It ain't gonna be 60 lb though.

Give it time, and you will be. It's just getting used to it. I love it, and am glad some of ya'll are starting to explore it.

Monday - Circuit training. Total work - 50 jumping jacks, 135 push-ups (30 while wearing a 40# ruck), 30 TRX chest presses, 13 pull-ups, 30 bench dips, 30 KB biceps curls, 30 reps of curl/press/extend with 40# ruck, 30 one arm KB rows, 75 crunches, and 3 minutes of planks. Finished with an easy 1 mile jog around the neighborhood while pushing my daughter in her stroller.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Tuesday - Cardio/core circuit. Total work - 2.33 miles in 20 minutes, 420 reps of abs, 3 minutes of planks.

Wednesday - Short one today. Squat/run pyramid 1 to 10 (55 reps), then a Stairmaster/lower body circuit. 15 minutes of stepping, 30 air squats, 30 lunges per leg, 30 dumbbell step ups. Finished with a 1 mile run in 9:08.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Saturday -

12 mile ruck march, 3:17:46.

30 minute rest.

10K ruck march, 1:46:36.

Ruck weight 44# dry.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Monday was some light PT, I just fit in quick, forgot to write it down. Nothing impressive.

Tuesday - 100# rucksack for 1 mile, 16:23. I've had better ideas. Glad I didn't fall over, I would have been like a turtle. Core circuit and stretching tonight.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Wednesday - PT circuit, nothing to write home about.

Friday - 80# ruck, 5.6 miles, took over 105 minutes. This sucked a lot.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Saturday - Benchmark PT test. Max push ups in one minute, max pull ups, max sit ups in 1 minute, timed 1 mile run.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Monday - New 12 week block of training begins. Same setup, just higher intensity in some areas, some harder exercises, and different modalities. Looking forward to it.

1 mile fast walk to warm up, followed by a push-up/short run pyramid (55 push-ups). Then circuit training - 60 push-ups, 11 pull-ups (weak today), 30 one arm KB presses per arm, 30 one arm KB rows per arm, 60 four count hello dollies, 3 minutes of planks, and 30 reps of rucksack curl/press/extends. Quick lightweight shoulder workout, then a 20 minute easy hill run breathing through the nose (a mere 1.32 miles, I was whupped after this).

[GrouchyUSMC]

Tuesday - Squat/run pyramid to warm up (55 squats total), then a 30 minute run but every 5 minutes I stopped and did 10 air squats and 5 lunges per leg. The clock kept running throughout. Total work - 2.4 miles, 115 squats, 60 lunges. I then finished with my new core circuit (140 reps of some harder exercises, planks, side planks, and bear crawls) and some stretching.

[Samraiwise]

Saturday -

12 mile ruck march, 3:17:46.

30 minute rest.

10K ruck march, 1:46:36.

Ruck weight 44# dry.

Grouchy, my hero!!

I'm gonna resume ruck marching in winter, summer is my tan-season.

Yep, I'm a sissy.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Grouchy, my hero!!

I'm gonna resume ruck marching in winter, summer is my tan-season.

Yep, I'm a sissy.

Awesome! It’s so much fun, I love it.

Wednesday - The baby slept terribly last night, and with house work and chores adding PT into the mix was too much for today.

Thursday - Circuit training. Fast walk and stretching to warm up, then hit a few rounds of a few different circuits. Then I finished by running a half mile loop with two of the biggest hills in my neighborhood for 20 minutes. Total work - 20 TRX chest presses, 2 minutes of one arm planks per side, 50 push ups, 30 bench dips, two rounds of the lightweight shoulder workout (120 reps), 20 triceps extensions per arm, 92 crunches, 20 one arm KB presses per arm, 13 pull ups, 30 one arm KB rows per arm, 75 reverse crunches, and 1.41 miles (over 300ft elevation).

[TM79]

Man, you continue to kill it in here my friend. That ruck on 8/22 was intense and then the 80 lb ruck a few days later, WTF?!?!? All I can say is that if this world ever runs out of gasoline I'm moving to your neighborhood because you are clearly superior at carrying stuff for long distances.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Man, you continue to kill it in here my friend. That ruck on 8/22 was intense and then the 80 lb ruck a few days later, WTF?!?!? All I can say is that if this world ever runs out of gasoline I'm moving to your neighborhood because you are clearly superior at carrying stuff for long distances.

That’s the goal at least! Most of these were phases in a British rucking challenge I was a part of, today was the last one so I think I’m the first American that has completed them.

Weekend workouts honoring Corporal Jack Sillito of the SAS who hiked over 120 miles in eight days through the Sahara Desert with minimal water and no food. Friday at 6pm I started a 28 hour food and water fast. This morning (Saturday) at 6am I did a 3 mile run in 32:36 then at 12pm I did a 3 mile ruck with 60# in 54:24. At 1pm I was allowed to have 4oz water and a bouillon cube (drinking it, I guess it was to mimic Sillito having to drink his own urine during that time). Finally at 10pm I did a 4 mile ruck with 60# in 1:10:26 before I could finally eat and drink fluids again. Definitely very tough mentally more than anything.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Monday - Been pushing it a bit too much, had to cut the morning workout short due to some upper body pain. Did some quick rehab work then ran 2 miles in a comfortable 18:26.

[TM79]

Saw your IG post about the tribute to Jack Silito. Man, that is intense! Nice job!

[GrouchyUSMC]

Saw your IG post about the tribute to Jack Silito. Man, that is intense! Nice job!

Thanks Trent! That was the last of 7 tests for the British challenge I was in, so it looks like I’m the first American to finish. Some of those Brits are absolute animals under a pack - the craziest time to me was a young guy who did his 12 mile timed march with 20kg in under 1 hour 55 minutes. I wasn’t the best but I wasn’t the worst and I have some years on some of these young bucks.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Last week was mostly an off week, rested some nagging injuries. Still have one this week but working around it.

Monday -
Dynamic warm-up. Push up pyramid 1 to 10 (run up/down stairs in between, 55 reps). Lightweight shoulder workout x2. 1 mile fast walk in 14:33 as the shin was still bugging me.

Tuesday -
Dynamic warm-up. Squat pyramid 1 to 10 (run up/down stairs in between, 55 reps). 15 sandbag squat cleans, 75 four count hello dollies, 30 TRX curtesy lunges per leg, 3 minutes of planking, three rounds of farmers walks up/down stairs x5 with a pair of KBs, and a 1.5 mile run in 15 minutes. Finished with the core cycle (300 reps plus side planks).

Wednesday -
Off day, too much to do.

Thursday -
Dynamic warm-up. PT pyramid 1 to 10 - push ups x2, squats x2, leg levers x3. Was supposed to be pull ups but shoulder still doesn’t like them. Total of 110 push ups, 110 squats, and 165 leg levers. Lightweight shoulder workout. Going to run 1-2 miles with my oldest once he finishes his schoolwork.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Saturday - Fun two hour session with some friends and the family at a local track. We started off with the GORUCK Team Assessment PT test for fun and surprisingly I passed although not by much (31 hand release push ups in 60 sec, 43 butterfly sit ups in 60 sec, and 15 sandbag squat cleans with 80# in 60 sec).

I then did two miles of carries - a half mile with 40# and driving the baby stroller, a half mile of a buddy carry with a 150# sandbag, a half mile with 60# and driving the baby stroller, and then a quick half mile with 40#. All while wearing a 35# ruck.

Did some extra PT at the end while we were sitting around getting ready to finish and leave. I managed to clean the 150# sandbag but it wasn’t pretty, did a lot of banded face pulls, 20 burpees thrusters with ruck and 40# sandbag, 50 four count flutterkicks with the ruck overhead, and some ruck overhead squats. Came home and did the usual core cycle (300 reps plus side planks). ROMWOD later.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Monday - Circuit training.

10 minute AMRAP of jumping jacks, push ups, and stretching to warm up (90 reps).

Circuit #1 total work - 1.5 mile run, 9 chin ups (pec still bothering me a bit but I can do a few reps), 30 TRX inverted rows, 45 TRX push ups, 45 sandbag push presses, 3 minutes of holding the ruck overhead, and 3 minutes of planks.

Circuit #2 total work - 1 mile run in 7:30, 36 hand release push ups, 42 butterfly sit ups. Burnt by this point.

Finished with core circuit (300 reps) and stretching.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Tuesday - Lower body and rucking.

Warmed up with a 10 minute AMRAP of the squat/run pyramid with 1-2 stretches in between each set. Worked up to 16 for a total of 136 squats.

5 minutes of run up stairs/walk down (18 steps plus a short landing in between ), 15 reps.

Then a 30 minute ruck with 45# but every 5 minutes I stopped and did either 20 ruck squats or 10 ruck lunges per leg (time keeps running). Total time 32:19 because I wanted to round it off to 1.5 miles at the end. 60 ruck squats and 60 ruck lunges per leg.

15 minute run with my oldest planned for later. Foam rolling now so I can actually do it.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Wednesday - Legs whupped after some overtime at work and a long day. Just some range time and mobility work today.

Thursday - Warmed up with a few minutes of fast walking and the some stretching. PT Pyramid 1-10-1 of TRX rows x1, push ups x2, and four count flutterkicks. Total of 100 TRX rows, 200 push ups, and 300 four count flutterkicks in about 40 minutes. I then did 1.5 miles of hills in about 20 minutes, legs still have some DOMS.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Last Friday I had a vasectomy so I was off for several days. Took the bullets out of the gun. I waited as long as my doctor told me before I began exercising again.

Thursday - Mobility day to test the waters. 2 mile fast walk and 25 minutes of foam rolling and stretching.

Friday - Back at it. Dynamic warm up, then suicide drills with 20kg (9x30m in less than 2 minutes, 5 with weight and 4 without). Next was stairs with a 20kg ruck for 10 minutes with push ups at every flight (13 flights and 65 ruck push ups). I then hit a circuit at home of pull ups, multi joint dumbbell exercise 2, 60# sandbag lunges, 60# sandbag thrusters, and a superset of grip work and band pull aparts. I was supposed to do a short run after but ran out of time.

Saturday - Dynamic warm up. 800m sprint for time, 3:29 (400m before and after as warm up and cool down). 6 mile ruck with 50# in 1:38:22. Core cycle (300 reps) and stretching at night.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Monday - Dynamic warm up, then some circuit training. Total reps - 13 chin ups (shoulder still bugging me a bit so holding me back here some), 60 TRX rows, 40 KB rows per arm, 80 push-ups, 152 sit ups, and 60 KB presses per arm. I then rucked up with 20kg/44 pounds and did my creatively named "Big Hill Loop" (two monster hills back to back and then an easy downward walk to get back to the bottom, 0.5 miles) three times in 30 minutes for 1.5 miles.

[GrouchyUSMC]

Tuesday - Dynamic warm up then at the park nearby suicide drills with 20kg (29x30m - 15 with 20kg and 14 without) in under 8 minutes. Headed home and hopped on the treadmill for 8 rounds of 200m @ 4mph/400m @ 8mph for a total of 3 miles in 30 minutes. Finished up with the usual core circuit (300 reps) and stretching.