Training log - New deadlift program and signing up for a half iron man

Went up Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh. Easy hike with stunning views, highly recommend.

After 10 days off spent exploring Edinburgh and getting married, I'm back at it. The first week back was rough, my hamstrings were so sore they hurt when I blew my nose. I never thought the two were connected but apparently they are.

Here are the main goals of my next training cycle:

1. Increase my deadlift from 170kg t0 180kg

2. Increase my squat from 130kg to 140kg

3. Increase my cardio base (half Iron Man coming up in May 2026)

4. Maintain upper body strength

Deadlift and squat strength program

I'm basing my lower body program of Mitchell Hooper's program. This one has two phases:

1. Accumulation phase/hypertrophy. The goal here is to build a solid muscular foundation. 3 sets of 12-15 reps at an RPE 7-8 across all lifts. This phase lasts 4 weeks and has 3 lower body workouts. - 1 with the main lifts, squats and deadlifts - 2 accessory workouts
   

2. The peaking phase, which I'll describe in a later post once I'm actually doing it. It involves a lot less sets and heavier lifts.

Balancing endurance training and strength workouts will be a challenge

Here is the workout breakdown for the accumulation phase. I've added two upper-body days to maintain my strength up there.

Day 1 - Main lifts

Deadlifts 3 x 8

Squats 3 x 8

Bench press 3 x 8

Day 2 - Back day

Seated rows 3 x 12

Single arm rows 3 x 10

Face pulls 3 x 15

Straight arm pull downs 3 x 15

Day 3 - Accessory 1

3 sets of 12 each.

Leg press

Front squats

Leg extensions

Leg curls

Day 4 - Upper body

DB incline bench press 3 x 8

Incline bench row 3 x 8

Cable rows 3 x 15

Reverse fly machine 3 x 15

Day 5 - Accessories 2

3 sets of 12-15 of each.

Split squats

Walking lunges

Hip thrusts

Single leg hamstring curls

Cardio program

I grew a pair and signed up for a half Iron Man for May.

Balancing my strength, physique and cardio will be a fun challenge. I'm already drooling just thinking about all the food I'll get to eat.

For the uninitiated, a half-iron man is:

• 1.9km swim

• 90km bike

• 21km run

My goal is to get across the finish line before the cut-off time, without hating life. I'm not here to set any new records.

I'm planning on starting specific triathlon training six months before the race, in November. For now, my cardio goal is to get as much zone two training as possible. This will help me build a solid cardio foundation, which will, hopefully, make the rest of the training easier.

I'll still be doing some sort of intervals to keep my workouts interesting. Here is a rough outline of what it will look like.

Day 1, 3, 5: zone two cardio, running, with a podcast or tunes in my ears.

Day 2: Intervals, most likely 4 x 4s.

Day 4: Threshold workout, basic 3 x 10 progressing to 3 x 20 over a couple of months.

Last time I did an Iron Man, I lost a lot of muscle and strength. I'm looking to avoid this this time around. If you're trying to juggle strength and endurance, let me know what your training looks like!