The Bucket Ladder

Day 2 of Joe De Senna’s Beginner Program is the Bucket Ladder. The task:

• 400m run
• 400m bucket carry 25% full
• 400m bucket carry 50% full
• 400m bucket carry 75% full
• 400m bucket carry 100% full
• 400m run

I know I’m supposed to do this outdoors, but I’m going to break that rule and do it in a gym. An online search puts the bucket weight for women between 50 to 80lbs. So that means:

• 25% full would be 12.5 to 20lbs
• 50% full would be 25 to 40lbs
• 75% full would be 37.5 to 60lbs

My gym is not a complete gym so this was what I ended up using:

• 25lbs – this was very manageable. I could have gone longer than 400m.
• 35lbs – this was a struggle, but I managed to carry it most of the way without too many rest breaks.
• 45lbs – this was very hard. I had to put it down too many times to rest. I really felt like dropping it.

Muscles Worked in Bucket Carry

• Grip – the majority of muscles used originate between the elbow and the upper portions of the forearm bones (ulna and radius) – scientifically known as the flexor digitorum superficialis, flexor digitorum profondus and the flexor policus longus – and down into the thumb or fingers (phalanges).
• Posterior Chain – muscle groups located on the backside of the body, from the upper back to the calf muscles, including the latissimus dorsi (the largest muscle in the back), erector spinae (muscle group that runs along the spine), hamstrings, and gluteus maximi.

Today’s Workout

Every task is supposed to begin with the warm-up segment which I find quite challenging in itself so I usually cut out some parts. Here is what I did today:

• ankle and wrist rotations.
• 5 minutes slow jog/walk.
• 60m skip.
• 20 squats.
• 10 static lunges (each leg).

I jogged slowly for 400m on the treadmill at Speed 8. I started with the heaviest weight first, dropping each time to the lower weight. My rest break was carrying the weights back to the weights room at the end of each 400m stretch. I skipped the final 400m run and did a 36 Level stair-climb instead.

I came home looking so listless that my son asked, “That bad was it?”

This is a beginner’s workout? Are you sure?

Garmin says I’m strained and my fitness is declining. My body is apparently struggling to recover so I’ll need to eat well and rest. Well, I can do that.