Early Retirement Extreme Forums

I have been getting pretty bored with the KB workouts at home. I decided to create a budget version of the X3 Bar system with a metal rod and some resistance bands I bought online.

Tried it last night with the overhead press and a front squat with the lightest band in the set. It definitely fatigues your muscles. Easy enough also to store away and bring back again.

AxelHeyst wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 06, 2024 10:30 am

Decided to do a murph a week. Today I got a full, all reps, non-weighted murph at 58:10 (and felt like I was gonna die). I also put a 1.5" box under my chest on the pushups (last week I was doing full depth). Non-kipping pullups.

That's hardcore! Nice improvement on last week's effort.

I used to do that years ago with The Devil's Mile. That's another fun ( ) one that can serve as a benchmark.

For time do the following:
1/4 mile lunges
30 pushups (or run 1/4 mile)
1/4 mile broad jumps (or burpees)
30 squats (or run 1/4 mile)
1/4 mile Overhead Carry
30 burpees (or run 1/4 mile)
1/4 mile bear crawl
30 4 count scissor kicks (or run 1/4 mile)

Divandan wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 06, 2024 11:32 am

I have been getting pretty bored with the KB workouts at home. I decided to create a budget version of the X3 Bar system with a metal rod and some resistance bands I bought online.

Tried it last night with the overhead press and a front squat with the lightest band in the set. It definitely fatigues your muscles. Easy enough also to store away and bring back again.

Nice, I am curious about the bands you found. I’m starting to think about buying some but am in the research phase/ebay scouring phase. Would appreciate your feedback!

Sure thing:

Here is the video that inspired it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mru0_Q-LLQ8&t=313s

Bands:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K1823XB?ps ... ct_details

Bar: (I probably could have DIYed this)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CDRZ698H?ps ... ct_details

I have not been using any platform yet; I just step on the bands. The bar itself seems to work really well for things like overhead presses, front squats, and bent-over rows, but you can probably just get by with the bands, honestly.

From what I read the main benefit is by going slow on the lifts and not locking out. I can confirm that they really tire out your muscles without that much weight. There also seems to be a lot of reports that say this type of lifting doesn't beat up your joints as much. I can write up my review after using this for a little bit of time.

Thanks Divandan! Appreciate the links, looks like the banks you linked are on sale right now too. I’m waiting a bit though, currently in a big purge so can’t justify buying them yet.

I do hope to hear how you like them after some time. And anyone else who regularly uses them.

AxelHeyst wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 06, 2024 10:30 am

Decided to do a murph a week. Today I got a full, all reps, non-weighted murph at 58:10 (and felt like I was gonna die). I also put a 1.5" box under my chest on the pushups (last week I was doing full depth). Non-kipping pullups.

wow dude, that's impressive. How many weeks? my fat ass (was less fat ass a few years ago) did a Murph and *barely* limped across the finish line. No idea on time. It wasn't impressive. Assisted pullups.

Just recently I started sitting on the floor again and working on getting up/down without using my hands. That was hard the first couple days. Easier now. Gotta stop this feeling that my body is slowly turning to stone from lack of use!

sodatrain wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2024 12:49 pm

wow dude, that's impressive. How many weeks?

However many weeks it takes to catch @theanimal. Hopefully he has another kid soon and is crazy sleep deprived again for National Murph Day 2025 and I can claim victory then. Work smart *and* hard.

AxelHeyst wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2024 1:41 pm

However many weeks it takes to catch @theanimal.

Around 5000. Just fuhgetaboutit... He's too short/compact/strong/fast. The only forumite to ever beat him was a one time Olympian and eventual special forces operator.

Speaking of Olympians, Milo of Croton (540 BC) allegedly trained in the Olympic off years by carrying a newborn calf on his back everyday until the events took place. Four years later when the next games came around, he was carrying a full-grown cow. Like Milo, I have my own calf (baby animal) that I am carrying around, biding my time until the next Murph. A second kid sounds like double the gainz.

jacob wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2024 2:01 pm

Around 5000. Just fuhgetaboutit... He's too short/compact/strong/fast. The only forumite to ever beat him was a one time Olympian and eventual special forces operator.

@JasonR! That guy is a monster.

I suppose most people are short compared to you If I'm remembering correctly, @AH and I are roughly the same height. I'm 6' 0"

I'm 5'10", watch out. And I do better with wildly unrealistic goals. I almost never actually hit them, but I go farther than than I would have if I picked a more milquetoast target. (e.g. MMM bounced off me but ERE stuck...). And I'm wired to be just fine with leaving a wake of "failures" that I had fun hucking myself at. Will I catch @theanimal? Nah, probably not. But I'm more likely to accidentally get a sub-45min weighted Murph time while chasing his dadbod ass...

theanimal wrote: ↑

Tue Jun 11, 2024 2:33 pm

Like Milo, I have my own calf (baby animal) that I am carrying around, biding my time until the next Murph. A second kid sounds like double the gainz.

Damn! They were right, the big V was a mistake!!

I'm happy with my modest increase in fitness. I don't know how come. I had not trained burpees for almost two months, and recently still improved significantly in just a few days!

Two months ago, things were bad. I couldn't do 40 burpees in 10 minutes. Now 50 in 9 minutes is easy (4* 5 + 5*6).

Murph Progress:
| Date | Total Time | Style
| 2024.05.28 | 46:?? | DNF, failed at 12 sets of reps
| 2024.06.06 | 58:10 | Unweighted
| 2024.06.12 | 49:26 | Unweighted
| 2024.06.20 | 46:06 | Unweighted

I'm doing pullups on a 2x6 beam, not sure I'm getting apples-to-apples pullups. Would be a bummer to realize I'm training to miss last 10% rom. Will rig up a bar soon.

Dude! That's some serious progress. Well done.

Braggarts! I'm going to start posting my PT accomplishments ... 6/19 was able to touch opposing shoulder 5 times with rebuilt arm, tied shoes by myself for first time.

Take that Murph-ers!

jennypenny wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 10:18 am

Braggarts! I'm going to start posting my PT accomplishments ... 6/19 was able to touch opposing shoulder 5 times with rebuilt arm, tied shoes by myself for first time.

Take that Murph-ers!

PT is super important!! Well done! Show us your gains next week

You are working thru pain and forced adjustment! That takes grit too.

@jp glad to hear you're making progress

sodatrain wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 10:28 am

PT is super important!! Well done! Show us your gains next week

I was just teasing them. I'm jealous. All I can pick up right now is an empty paper cup -- a long way from a ruck sack. I'll get there though, hopefully by next summer.

jennypenny wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 20, 2024 10:18 am

6/19 was able to touch opposing shoulder 5 times with rebuilt arm, tied shoes by myself for first time.

Take that Murph-ers!

You're the hardcore one here, jp.

LOL, I am totally channeling Uma Thurman at PT today. Thx for that.

And thanks @Suo. IIRC you had a similar level of accident and can relate to where I'm at right now.

I finally had a day when I felt good enough to attempt my old 6X week daily habit of trail-walking again. Apparently, my new normal is that I am more than twice as slow as I was previously, Blood work results a few days later. Yup, anemic again. I feel like an old car with multiple leaky lines and clogged filters.