AthleanX Train Like Bane

This week I’m coming to the end of my latest mesocycle in which I am wrapping up the month-long Train Like Bane bonus program from AthleanX.  I have really enjoyed programs from AthleanX over the years due to the athletic nature of the programs and they have worked to make me a much more well-rounded athlete.  While I typically lean towards programs that have a conditioning focus built in, this month-long bonus has been on my “really want to do” list for a while now and it was a program that I thoroughly enjoyed. It consisted of 3 total body workouts (Mon, Wed, and Fri) broken up by workouts focused on grip strength and calves on Tuesday and Thursday. 

While not a typical ultrarunner type program, I am considering running another Spartan Ultra as a part of my journey towards 50 miles as I think I can benefit a lot from completing and improving my performance at a few more 50K events before attempting a step up in distance.  Repeating an event would also provide a way to gauge progress. I think the Bane program is great as a part of a Spartan Ultra preparation block in that the grip strength and pull strength focus could be beneficial in a lot of the obstacles. I was able to mix in zone 2 cardio on the grip strength and calf days as well to maintain my aerobic base while I ran the month-long program.  It was fun and rewarding program to run over the off season. Moreover, all of the grave diggers on each Wednesday’s workout helped me to break through a plateau in my overhead press.