July 11, 2026

Under Load and Against the Clock

Some workouts build gradually. This one kept adding pressure.

I trained from 12:29 PM to 1:39 PM, moving from clean and push presses into dumbbell loading, Zercher carries, and backward cable work. Nothing went off the rails. Everything was completed as planned. Still, two timed sets gave me clear opportunities to reach further than the ordinary work required.

Building the Weight

The clean and push press began at 45 pounds and climbed through 75, 95, and 115 before reaching two sets of three at 135 pounds. I added my belt and wrist wraps beginning with the 115-pound set.

The original target for the final sets was 130 pounds, but 135 was easier to assemble with the plates available. So I took the extra five pounds and kept moving. There was no grand strategic decision behind it. Sometimes the gym simply makes a minor amendment to the program.

The final two sets landed at RPE 6.5 and 7. They were demanding enough to require attention, but they did not consume the session. That mattered because the harder work was still ahead.

Nineteen Reps in Sixty Seconds

The single-dumbbell-to-shoulder work began with controlled sets at 60 and 80 pounds. The movement involves lifting one dumbbell from the floor and bringing it securely to the shoulder, making it a useful stand-in for the awkward loading patterns that appear throughout strongman.

The final set changed the terms.

With a 70-pound dumbbell and 60 seconds on the clock, I completed 19 repetitions. There was no room to drift through the set. Every completed rep left less time for the next one, and the only useful response was to keep picking the dumbbell back up.

That was the first place where I found the edge of the session and pressed into it.

Carrying Weight the Uncomfortable Way

From there, I moved into Zercher carries at 135, 145, and 166 pounds, with each set covering 50 feet.

A Zercher carry places the bar in the bends of the elbows rather than in the hands or across the back. It creates a close, awkward load that demands control from the entire body. It is effective work, though nobody would mistake the position for hospitality.

The final 166-pound carry reached RPE 7. It was heavy, steady, and completed without turning the movement into something it was not supposed to be.

One Hundred and Two Steps Backward

The session ended with cable backward walks using a chest harness. The first two rounds lasted 30 seconds at 40 and 50 pounds. The final round raised the weight to 55 pounds and extended the clock to 90 seconds.

I completed 102 backward steps.

By the end, the set had reached RPE 8.5, the highest recorded effort of the workout. The number alone does not explain the set. Ninety seconds is long enough for the early steps to feel distant by the time the work is over.

Still, the count gave me something concrete. One hundred and two steps. No estimation. No need to dress it up.

A few hours after leaving the gym, I was feeling good. I completed the full session as written, reached further during the two timed efforts, and left with specific results instead of a vague impression that I had worked hard.

Nineteen reps in 60 seconds.

One hundred and two steps in 90.

Those were the marks this session left behind.

Workout Log

Exercise	Set	Weight	Reps / Time	RPE
Elliptical Cross Trainer	A		7 minutes
Serratus Wall Slide	A	BW	8	1
Bodyweight Box Squat	A	BW	8	1
Dead Bug	A	BW	6	1
Clean & Push Press	A	45	5	2
Clean & Push Press	B	75	4	3
Clean & Push Press	C	95	3	4
Clean & Push Press	D	115	3	5
Clean & Push Press	E	135	3	6.5
Clean & Push Press	F	135	3	7
Single Dumbbell to Shoulder	A	60	3	4
Single Dumbbell to Shoulder	B	60	3	6
Single Dumbbell to Shoulder	C	80	3	7
Single Dumbbell to Shoulder	D	70	19 in 60 sec.	8
Zercher Carry	A	135	50 ft	5
Zercher Carry	B	145	50 ft	6
Zercher Carry	C	166	50 ft	7
Cable Backward Walk	A	40	30 sec.	4
Cable Backward Walk	B	50	30 sec.	5
Cable Backward Walk	C	55	102 steps in 90 sec.	8.5