It’s cool to have people ask how the experiment is going. Honestly, it has been hard to quantify until I started hearing fellow gym goers talk about the workout load from last week (the week of January 14) and how they felt wrecked. I look back at what we did and hearing how sore they were, last week’s workout load has given my experience with the Somaderm gel new light as I haven’t been sore at all.

Tuesday, January 15:

7 set of a max 1 rep attempt at snatch balance. I worked up to 145 lbs, which was a new personal best for me. I’m still a little guy and Olympic lifting movements are not my forte.

Wednesday, January 16:

Complete as many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:
7 squat snatches (I ended up using 95 lbs)
14 strict ring dips

Thursday, January 17:

3 rounds for time of:
Run 800 meters
30 kettlebell swings (24-kg kettlebell = 53 lbs)
30 pull-ups

Friday, January 18:

For time:
Run 800 meters
Then, 10 rounds of the couplet:
   10 handstand push-ups
   10 single-leg squats
Then, run 800 meters

Saturday, January 19:

2 Person Team

4 Rounds of 7 Min AMRAP`
Each Person must get through the Triplet before the 2nd teammate can start
3 Hang Power Cleans @ 135 lbs
6 Burpees
9 Air Squats

Rest 2 Min Between Rounds

By the end of that one, I had performed 60+ cleans, 90 burpees, and 180 air squats.

The Subtleties of No Soreness

Pistol squats always fire me up, especially in the booty and low back the day or 2 after doing them in that quantity. Nada…even with 100 of them. With all that shoulder work, a typical week would leave me bringing my head down to my hands to try and wash my hair in the shower. Nada…even with 100 handstand pushups. The shoulder shrugging with the snatch and clean work would also normally leave me hesitant for my kids to jump on my back. Nada. It’s the subtleties of not being wrecked that I have to take inventory over instead of the horrible symptoms resolving, that most report while being on this gel.

With that said, 3 weeks into the experiment and not being sore with heavy and high volume training is definitely a win in my book. I would also add that I feel I’m sleeping a bit better, not waking in the middle of the night (though always able to fall right back asleep). A sleep tracker would help confirm this, but I do not use one as I leave all WiFi enabled devices out of the bed room. No cell phone, no smart watch. No computer. No TV. Just an old school AM/FM alarm clock that I drape a hat over to block out any light.

With about a week left, I’ll get some new labs at the end of the month, take some body measurements and even consider extending my application of the gel another 30-60 days. It was recommended to me to give it 90 days at the onset of the experiment.