Thursday January 29, 2026
/Descending Ladder Thursday
- 1000m Row
- 50 GHD Sit-ups
- 25 Kettlebell Swings (53 lbs)
- 800m Row
- 40 GHD Sit-ups
- 20 Kettlebell Swings (53 lbs)
- 600m Row
- 30 GHD Sit-ups
- 15 Kettlebell Swings (53 lbs)
- 400m Row
- 20 GHD Sit-ups
- 10 Kettlebell Swings (53 lbs)
Day four back from anniversary week. The body is fully awake now, the mind is back in the game, and the work feels normal again. Today was overhead work and a descending ladder that tested everything.
Started with sots press — five sets of five at 45 pounds. It looks light until you're in a full squat trying to press overhead. Every rep is a battle between stability and mobility, strength and balance. Then power cleans at 135 and overhead squats at 75. Nothing heavy, just quality movement patterns.
The workout was a descending ladder that looked manageable on paper: 1000m row, 50 GHDs, 25 kettlebell swings. Then 800m, 40, and 20. Then 600m, 30, and 15. Finally 400m, 20, and 10. Each round gets shorter, but your body gets more tired.
The first round feels like a warm-up. 1000 meters gives you time to settle in, find your pace, think about the work ahead. The GHDs after rowing remind your abs they exist. The kettlebell swings at 53 pounds wake up the posterior chain.
By round three, the math starts working against you. 600 meters feels longer when your legs are already fatigued. 30 GHDs feel like 50 when your core is cooked. By the final 400 meters, you're pulling with everything you have left, knowing there's still 20 GHDs and 10 swings waiting.
27:03 total. Not fast, not slow, just done. Sometimes the best workouts are the ones that test your ability to keep moving when everything wants to stop. Thursday delivered exactly that — honest work with no places to hide.
The Red Rocket Lounge meets at 5am in Chattanooga. We're fathers, business owners, and community leaders who show up before the sun to get better. Drop in for a visit or join the brotherhood.
