Friday June 20, 2025

Well, today was a big day… I’ve officially entered a new decade!

I started going to the gym when I was 14, driven by the desire to lose the awkward puberty weight I had gained. But it didn’t take long before the mental benefits of training far outweighed the physical changes. The gym became more than a place to change my body—it became a space to strengthen my mind, build resilience, and reconnect with myself.

Over the years, I’ve tried many programs, but strength and conditioning have always remained my north star. Each year, I like to test a few cornerstone movements and skills—not for comparison to others, but as a personal check-in. These movements measure the 10 general physical skills of fitness: strength, speed, power, coordination, stamina, endurance, flexibility, agility, balance, and accuracy. I believe that training these skills leads to a better quality of life, both inside and outside the gym.

To celebrate my 40th birthday, I’ll be testing the following benchmarks this week:

Strength & Conditioning Tests:

• Deadlift – 5 Rep Max

• Back Squat – 1 Rep Max

• Bench Press – 1 Rep Max

• Max Push-Ups

• Max Pull-Ups

• 5 km Run

Skill Tests:

• Max Handstand Walk Distance

• Max Ring Muscle-Ups

• Max Double Unders

This week’s programming (Friday to Friday) will reflect this personal “check-in” as I enter this new chapter—and it’s something I plan to continue tracking each year, adjusting as needed with age, wisdom, and life.

"Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." – Aristotle

If you want to follow along or try it out for yourself, here’s tomorrow’s workout (Friday):

Friday Workout:

A. Deadlift – Work to a 5 Rep Max
B. Max Push-Ups – 1 set
  Rest as needed
Max Pull-Ups – 1 set
  Rest as needed
C. Conditioning
 21-15-9
Cal Row

Thrusters 65/95 * Sub DB’s if you prefer

I hope you’ll follow along. I’d love to hear what you discover about yourself through movement, mindset, and challenge.